Old Love
by The Blonde Midget
Summary: Using some ancient magic, Bakura summons the ancient Egyptian priest, Seth. And, as that would not be enough, Seth first thinks Jou is his past lover, Jono. What will happen when the spirit is determined to win this new Jono’s heart? And what has a certai
1. Chapter 1

Okay, get ready to par-tey, 'cause I have another long story coming up! No more one shots or two shots that gives you nothing, here comes a long story! A humour one! Cheer at the lack of angst!

-cheers-

...-is met with silence from the reader(s)-

...oh, fine. Whatever. I have made a new story, that will be long! And it's a Seto/Jou one! ...err...sort of...meh, you'll understand when you read the story!

Anyways, here we go!

Plot: With some ancient magic, Bakura accidentally summons the ancient high priest Seth, Seto's past reincarnation from Egypt. And, as that would not be enough, Seth first thinks Jou is his past lover, Jono. What will happen when the spirit is determined to win this new Jono's heart? And what has a certain blue-eyed CEO to say about this? And what will Jou do, when his feelings confuses him to no end?

Yup, that's the summary! Pretty sweet, huh? –is proud over herself-

Disclaimer: As I've told you before, I own nothing. –glares at the lawyers- But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Bakura! (Bakura: I will kill you all if you don't give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh! –glares-) --;

Pairings: Seth/Jou, Seto/Jou, Jou?. Some Yami/Yugi and Ryou/Bakura, the sweetest pairings ever!

Warnings: Crazy humour, boy/boy love and some swearing. Some OOC, and tons of Anzu bashing! It's back:D

That's all I need to say! Here starts the story! Read, enjoy and then review!

Chapter 1 

**Kame Game Shop**

**10:00**

**Normal POV**

"No, Bakura, you can not banish her to the Shadow Realm!" Ryou said, for about the seventeenth time.

His darker counterpart, Bakura, pouted adorably, and made a small whine. Or, well, he tried to pout adorably, and whined like there was no tomorrow. "But why nooot? She's annoying meee..."

The 'she' person in this was, of course, Anzu (I mean, who else would it be?). She was currently having one of her many friendship-speeches, that none of the boys really listened to or cared about. But still tried desperately to avoid.

Alas, this time, they did not.

What had caused this speech you ask? Well, while helping Yugi in the shop, seeing that Yugi couldn't lift all those boxes alone, Bakura had 'accidentally' dropped a large box filled with cards on Yami's head. A very heavy box, that caused Yami to fall unconscious. And Bakura to laugh in his evil, nonetheless sexy, way. And Yami, of course, wasn't too happy about that.

The whole thing resulted in a insult match between Bakura and Yami, mostly in Egyptian. And that was probably a good thing; because Yugi and Ryou guessed that there was a hell of a lot cursing going on.

Then, Anzu had piped up through a hole in the ground (...or, walked in through the door), and started to yap about how important friendship was, and how the two of them should make up. The boys however had stopped listening after about five seconds, and were now ignoring her.

But, seeing that the speech contained many sweet words about love, friendship and fluffy bunnies, it gave Bakura a headache. And he didn't like headaches. So, naturally, he wanted to get rid of the cause of his headache.

Anzu. The root of all things evil.

Ryou sighed, and turned to the other guys. Yugi sat in Yami's lap, looking quite amused by the way Bakura was acting, and Yami was smirking. Seeing the ex-King of Thieves in pain made him very satisfied.

"But, tomb-robber, what is it that I hear?" Yami said smugly. "Are you whining?"

Bakura glared at the former pharaoh, loosing the faint attempt of a pout. "So what if I am? You would too if you had such a headache as I have..." He glared at Anzu, who still was going on and on about the 'wonders' of friendship.

"...and without friendship, the world would seize to exist! And that would be bad because...because...we would have to live on the moon! And it's cooold. And coldness is bad. But, love and friendship warms up the world-"

"Please, Ryou?" Bakura whispered, and sent the albino a pleading look worthy of an 'aaaw'. Ryou sighed, and shook his head.

"I said no, Bakura!" But, you could actually hear a faint tinge of hesitation in Ryou's voice. Not even he, the patient and polite boy he was, could stand those speeches forever...

In that moment, Katsuya Jounouchi rushed into the game shop, panting and with pale cheeks. He looked like he had been running for a long time, and seemed exhausted. "Guys, ya have to help me!"

Before the other guys could ask what had happened, Anzu spoke with her irritating and screechy voice. "Hey, it's rude to interrupt like that, Jounouchi! Friends doesn't interrupt each other like that, they respect each other, and wait until they are finished..." And she kept going, while the others zoned her out, except Bakura who was constantly twitching with annoyance and blood thirst.

"Jou, what happened?" Yugi asked with concern for his best friend.

Jou made a giant jump, and dived down behind the counter, to peek out towards the door with only his eyes visible. "I-I have signed my own tombstone, Yugi, tha's wha' happened!" He gulped while staring at the door.

"Huh?" Yugi said and, blinked. "What do you mean?"

Jou sighed. "Um, I prolly should start from the beginnin'..." He took a deep breath. "I was on my way here, walkin' all innocently along, when I bumped into Kaiba; The-One-And-Only-Moneybag-with-a-_huge_-stick-up-his-arse..."

Yami, Yugi and Ryou all sighed deeply, in perfect sync too, at this. Of course it had to do with Seto Kaiba when Jou was like this. Every time those two met, even if it just was a passing in the corridors in school, it resulted in some sort of fight.

"So what?" Bakura growled. "What did he do, threatened you, or asked if he could fuck you?"

Jou paused, and glared at Bakura. "No, he didn' threaten me. And even more no, he didn' ask if he could fuck me! Tha's just disturbing."

"Hm...you are probably right. Kaiba wouldn't bother to ask you; he would just fuck you at once."

The blond glared at the pondering Bakura, and then continued. "Well, it started out as always, he called me a dog, I yelled at him and called him bastard and such...then I...um..."

"Kissed him and then had hot, animalistic sex with him in an alleyway?"

"NO! Stop tha', you fuckin' maniac!"

"...what's wrong with being a maniac?" Smiiirk.

"...anyways." Jou sighed and then continued. "I sorta...sprayed him wit' a hose..." Pause. "With really much water." Another pause. "Really cold water."

Silence.

"...you sprayed Seto Kaiba with a hose?" Yugi asked hesitantly.

Nod.

"...the Seto Kaiba who can sue your sorry ass for doing that?" Ryou added.

Nod, nod.

"The Seto Kaiba who's walking towards the entrance of the shop, looking ready to kill someone using only his eyes?" Yami asked, looking out through the glass-door.

Nod, no-

"Oh, no!" Jou 'eeped' and hid behind the counter completely. "Please, don' tell him I'm here..." He pleaded, with a very weak voice.

Before anyone could answer, the door opened with a happy 'pling', that was very put of place in that situation. In the doorway, looking furious and murderous, stood Seto Kaiba. Tall, fearsome, with a death-glare on his dark, sexy and broody features...

And clothes clinging to his body, and hair dripping with water, looking quite much like a drenched kitten.

A dangerous and murderous drenched kitten.

Bakura was the first to speak. "Would you look at that. Kaiba is more muscular than I give him credit for." He pointed to Seto's chest, on which the shirt clung and showed off a muscular chest that would send fangirls into complete drooling mood.

Seto simply sent the tomb-robber a fierce glare, before speaking. "Where. Is. He?" Kaiba said.

Or more like, hissed out in heavy pants, only barely containing his anger.

"W-Where's who?" Yugi asked nervously, and smiled faintly. He sucked at lying. Those innocent eyes gave him away at once.

Seto snapped his head in the short duellist's direction, and Yugi shrank under his intense glare. "You know of whom I speak. Where is that low-level duellist mutt called Katsuya Jounouchi!"

"...wow, you called Jou by his first name." Was Ryou's ever so clever answer. "I do wonder how you found out about that..."

But he went dead-quiet when Kaiba glared heatedly at him. "And what-" Seto said with a silky, and dangerously calm, voice. "-is that supposed to inquire?"

"U-Uh...N-Nothing at all, Kaiba. S-Sorry..." Ryou's voice faded with every word, until he went completely quiet.

"Very well." Seto turned to the others again. "Now, where's the mutt?"

"Behind the counter." Bakura said with a bored tone in his voice, and pointed straight to Jou's hiding place with his thumb.

"BAKURA!" The others shouted, minus Seto and Anzu. Anzu kept on with her friendship-speech-of-fucking-DOOM, and Seto smirked with satisfaction.

Jou rose, seeing that his hiding place now was useless, and glared at the tomb-robber. "Wha' the hell was tha' for!"

Bakura shrugged, and looked at his nails with a bored look. "I just wanted to make things more interesting...and I have a headache, thanks to a certain brunette girl..." He glared at Anzu, who kept rambling about friendship. "...and I want to see what Kaiba will do for revenge..." Smirk. "Blood and other body-fluids are always pleasant."

Seto looked straight at Jou with a menacing glare. "Jounouchi..." He hissed out.

Jou grinned sheepishly, but a look of fear was clearly visible in his eyes. "Hi there, Kaiba. How's it goin'?"

Kaiba glared. "What do you think, you mutt graced with lack of brain cells?"

"...ya want me to answer that?"

Seto smirked. "No. Not really. I want-" He took a step closer to the petrified teen. "-to hear you scream."

"Oh, kinky!" Bakura piped up with, earning himself five stern glares. "...what?"

Now, Anzu decided to speak up. She clearly sensed when people started to grow unfriendly.

"Kaiba! You should be ashamed of yourself, threatening Jou like that! He's a good friend, and a nice person! You should treat him with respect. Forgiveness is a key factor in a working friendship..."

"I'm not trying to befriend that mutt. I'm trying to kill him." Pause. "No, torture him slowly, and _then_ kill him."

But Anzu didn't listen. "...and if you don't learn how to forgive, Kaiba, you will never learn the sweet thing of friendship..."

"...now, wouldn't that be awful?" Seto's voice dripped with sarcasm, like his hair dripped with water for the moment.

Anzu nodded furiously. "Heavens, you're right, Kaiba! A life without friendship is like a day without sun, and a day without sun is like...like..."

"Night?" Yugi suggested hesitantly.

"Ah, yes, that's right, Yugi! Like night! And night is very unpleasant, because then you sleep and can't make friends-"

"GAH! That is IT! I can't take it anymore!" Bakura shouted, and the Millennium Ring mysteriously appeared around his neck. "YOU WILL GO TO THE SHADOW REALM FOR ALL ETERNITY!"

Ryou opened his mouth to protest, but Bakura shut him up with only one glare. His eyes started to glow and he started to chant in Egyptian.

Anzu, however, was unaffected by this, and kept talking like nothing was happening. "-and every minute that you can't make friends, is wasted time. Because, what could be better than making friends on a sunny and glorious day?"

"Sending you to the Shadow Realm?" Bakura suggested coldly, and read a few more Egyptian verses to seal the spell.

Yami suddenly gasped, and rose, Yugi falling off his lap and onto the floor with a pain filled wince. "Wait, Bakura! You got the third verse wrong! It's not a banishing-spell, it's a-" A loud 'whooping' sound interrupted him, and then a bright light erupted from Bakura's hands and surrounded Anzu.

"Hm...now that's not what's supposed to happen..." Bakura mumbled. "There's supposed to be pitch-black darkness and screams of agony...not bright light and whooping. Hm..."

There was a loud cracking sound, a flash of light, and then they heard Anzu scream in pain, or something like that. But the loud and piercing shriek was cut short and a 'thump' was heard. The light subsided, and everyone stared at the place Anzu once had been. They expected to see a large pile with ashes, but their eyes were graced with something completely different.

On the floor, there was a man. He was sitting on his knees, breathing deeply and hungrily. The others stared at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

His skin was deeply tanned, just like Yami's and Bakura's, and his hair brown, cut in the same fashion as Seto's though a little longer and messier, and just a little lighter in the colour. He wore, to the others great surprise, some sort of tunic, in deep blue, that was definitely Egyptian and left his chest bare. His arms and wrists were covered with gold bracelets, that made Bakura's eyes shine with greed.

The man's shoulders were broad, and his waist slim. And, even though he was on his knees, you could tell that he was tall.

His eyes were closed tightly, and therefore you could not see their colour.

"Wow..." Bakura mumbled. "I think I turned Anzu into a guy..." He leaned his head to the side. "I must say that it was an improvement, though."

Ryou glared at the tomb-robber, but didn't say anything. At least not out loud. Inside his mind and through the mindlink however...

Yami shook his head, and sighed. "No, Bakura, you idiot. You didn't turn Anzu into a man. You summoned that man from the Shadow Realm." Pause. "Or, more like switched place with him and Anzu."

Bakura whistled lowly, and then smirked. "Even better so. Now she's gone. Mission completed!"

The others simply glared at him, before turning back to the panting man on the floor. He still hadn't made a single movement to raise up or open his eyes.

Yami frowned slightly. "Judging by his clothes, he's from ancient Egypt." A deeper frown. "I think I recognize him..." Yami's eyes widened. "No...it...it can't be..."

Bakura blinked, and then looked back to the brunet on the floor. He looked at him for a long time, and then gasped, jumping backwards with a terrified expression on his face. "Hell! It's...oh...pharaoh, is that who I think it is!"

Before Yami could answer, the mysterious man opened his eyes. The orbs was coloured in a deep blue shade, and looked confused. "What...where am I?" He mumbled, with a deep and smooth voice with a small Egyptian accent. He then looked up slowly. His eyes reached Bakura, and he stared. "Tomb Robber? What...how did you..."

Bakura simply stared.

The blue-eyed Egyptian rose slowly, standing up to his full and impressive height, a little taller than Kaiba. Then his gaze turned to Yami. His eyes widened, and he immediately fell to his knees again, with a bow. "P-Pharaoh Atemu!"

Yami smiled slightly, and rose the man up. "Hello, cousin. It was a long time ago." He frowned. "5000 years to be precise. That is far too long for being apart, Seth."

Seth stared at him. "B-But...Atemu...how did I get here? The last thing I remember is that I was in the Shadow Realm, trying to escape some foul creature...then some bright light engulfed me, and I heard a scream. Then I landed here!"

Yami sighed. "Well, you have our dear Bakura to thank for that..." He glared at the innocent-looking tomb-robber. "He used his Shadow Magic to bring you here. On accident, of course."

Seth was quiet for a long time. "...he sent some poor person to the Shadow Realm, didn't he?"

"Noo...it was more like a switch between you and that girl-thingie...but believe me, Anzu is not some person you could possibly feel pity with." Bakura said, only to receive a glare from both Yami and the brunet.

"...anyway." Yami said, and then turned to the others. "Okay, guys, this is Seth, my High Priest in ancient Egypt. And also, he is my cousin." He turned to Seth. "Seth, this is some of my friends at this place. That's Yugi my hikari-" He pointed to Yugi, who was standing by the counter.

"Hello, Seth." Yugi said, and smiled.

"-and that's Ryou, Bakura's hikari-"

"Hello." Ryou bowed politely.

"-er, you know Bakura..." Bakura glared.

"_Like I didn't get enough of you in Egypt..._" Seth mumbled, in Egyptian.

Seth now eyed Seto, who coldly looked back. A sneer reached Seth's face. "Who's the look-alike?"

Yami smirked, and pointed to Seto. "Oh, him? That's Seto Kaiba, your reincarnation. Stuck up, cold hearted, a sour loser..."

"...just like you!" Bakura chirped, and smirked.

Again, he received a glare from Yami and Seth.

Seto snorted, and then eyed his Egyptian counterpart with cold eyes. "So, that would be my past self? How disappointing." He smirked. "I can tell that it wasn't from you I got my sense of fashion. At least you have to be brave to wear a towel in broad daylight." (A/N: -rolls eyes- Like anti-gravity coats are any better...)

"Firstly; it's a tunic. Secondly; it seems like you would need a towel more than I, seeing that you're wearing wet clothes and have water everywhere." Seth said calmly, and smirked when Seto growled.

"Lets move on." Yami said, and pointed to Jou. "Okay, that's-"

"Katsuya..." Seth breathed out, and blinked several times. His eyes were filled with confusion, surprise, amazement, but also...utter and complete happiness.

Before anyone could react, Seth walked up to Jou with three long steps, and wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist. A happy laugh escaped him, as he spun Jou around for a few moments, and then pulled him in for a warm hug.

"My sun, my moon, the stars in my sky...like water from the Nile sooths the scorching deserts, you bless my eyes with your beauty..." Seth whispered softly, only for Jou to hear.

"Um, now wait a second..." Jou began nervously, but was cut off by Seth.

"Katsu...how I missed you, my love." He whispered. Then, he leaned down closer to Jou, and captured his lips in a long and passionate kiss.

_**End of Chapter!**_

Hah, first chapter done! Oh my, what will happen now...Seth, you dog, you:P

A small note; Seth speaks Japanese like the rest of the crew. When getting summoned, he learned the language through Anzu, seeing that they switched places. Err...am I making any sense? Well, at least he talks Japanese, so they can understand him, and he can understand them.

Okay, what did you guys think? Does this story have potential, or did it just suck out loud? Hm...well, tell me in a review, preferably a long one (short ones works fine too!), and I shall reward you with a new chapter!

Cookies for all who reviews! Chocolate chip ones, of course!

-The Blonde Midget! 


	2. Walking Home

Hi again! 

God, I almost drowned in all reviews! I've never had so many reviews for a first chapter, ever! (I think...-starts to ponder-) And all positive! Thanks all of you!

Well, seeing that you liked the idea, I figured that I should continue with it! I hope that you'll like this chapter as much as you liked the former!

Disclaimer: I own nothing concerning Yu-Gi-Oh! But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Anzu! (Anzu: Oh, my friends, lets give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh, because of all the friendly friendlyness of the world! Lets hug! –runs after the lawyers-) ...O.o;

Pairings: Seth/Jou, Seto/Jou, and Yami/Yugi and Ryou/Bakura! (Love these pairings to death!)

Warnings: Anzu bashing, boy/boy love and lots and lots of crazy humour! (So, don't choke on your cokes people! ;) )

Okay, that's all of my rambling! Read, enjoy and review!

Chapter 2 

**Kame Game Shop**

**10:35**

**Normal POV**

Everyone stared at Seth and Jou, while the Egyptian kissed Jou passionately. It seemed like he was pouring his entire soul into it, as he pulled Jou so close to himself that it looked like they were one person with two heads and abnormally many legs and arms.

The gang, plus Seto, could do nothing but stare at the two of them.

Yugi and Ryou stared with blushes, the innocent angels they were, Bakura grinned like the fool he was, and Yami looked quite surprised, but also quite sad. It looked like he wanted to say something, but seeing the two of them so entangled stopped him, and he simply stared along with the others.

But it was Seto's reaction that was the most interesting.

The brunet stared at the tanned version of himself, with both anger and, (dare we say?), jealousy in his eyes. His eyebrow was twitching with annoyance and he clenched his fists so tight that they turned white. Frankly, it looked like he wanted to punch someone. Most certainly Seth. But he didn't. He simply kept glaring at Seth's back, trying to kill him with the venomous stare.

But, Seth didn't die. He just kept kissing Jou, just as passionately as for three minutes ago when he first leaned in.

Jou's eyes were wide-open, and he stared at Seth. Confusion and utter shock were to be seen in his eyes, and a light blush slowly spread over his cheeks. Was that guy...kissing him? Without a single reason what so ever? So it seemed. But, somehow, Jou couldn't bring himself to push the other away...

It felt right, somehow.

And, not to forget, Seth was a very, very, very, VERY good kisser...

After about five minutes, Seth pulled away from the lip lock, only to kiss Jou gently on the lips again and then three more times. Small tears were to be seen in his dark blue eyes, but he didn't shed them. The tears weren't caused by sorrow however; they were created by joy, and nothing but joy.

"Katsuya...I never thought I'd meet you again..." He whispered, love surrounding every word, and kissed him softly again. He held Jou as close as he could, and didn't seem to be ready to let go any time soon.

Jou opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again, seeing that he had no fucking idea of what to say. 'Cause, seriously, what do you say to a man who declares his undying love for you and kisses you senseless, and you don't even know him?

Nothing, that's the answer. You just try to look as cute as possible.

Yami was the one to recover first from the shock of seeing them kiss. (And the first one to get his regular voice back; Welcome to Shriek-vill!)

"Seth...err...there's something you should know..."

Seth glanced at Yami for a second, before looking back to Jou with soft and loving eyes. "There's nothing more I need to know or hear. I have the love of my life in my arms, I need nothing more." Again, Seth kissed Jou softly, making Jou blush even deeper than he already was.

Yami sighed despairingly. "Seth, he's not Jono." His voice was low when he said this, and carried traces of compassion.

Seth tensed, and then slowly turned around, arms still loosely wrapped around Jou's waist. The blue eyes were filled with disbelief, and he stared at Yami with genuine shock.

"What? But...he must be! There's no way it can be someone else! He looks like Jono, talks like Jono, and has the same heavenly taste as my Katsuya!" At that, Jou blushed deeper, and tried to hide behind his hair with only minor success. "How c-can it not be Jono?"

Yami shook his head sadly. "This isn't Jono, I can assure you of that. It is his reincarnation. Seth, let me introduce you to Katsuya Jounouchi."

Seth hesitantly looked at Jou again, and Jou shyly met his gaze. When their gazes met, it looked like the former priest saw something, something that no one else could see. Seth's eyes flashed with sorrow for a second, and he slowly pulled away and let his arms fall to his sides.

"Oh...I...I see. I am deeply sorry, I mistook you for...the one I used to love..." He backed away, and then turned to Yami. "Atemu...I was sent to the Shadow Realm before you went into the puzzle. What...happened to Katsuya?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you..."

"Atemu." That one word was spoken with force, and not even Yami, the ancient pharaoh he once was, could stand against it.

"He...he was sold...to some rich man, of which I do not know the name. I got to know a week after the sell was done. I am sorry, Seth. Truly, I am." Yami put his hand on Seth's shoulder with a sad look in his eyes. "I know how you felt about Jono...once again, Seth, I'm sorry."

Seth's eyes filled with tears, and he looked down. "I...I understand. I hope that...that they took good care of him." The brunet rose his head again, dried the tears away, and he gave Yami a reassuring smile. "I do not blame you, Atemu."

Yami smiled slightly, and then turned to Yugi. "Aibou, do you think Seth could stay here with us for a while? We can't let my cousin live out on the streets."

Yugi looked uncertain and scratched the back of his neck. "Um...I don't know, Yami. Grandpa would probably freak if I let one more person move into my room..." The short duellist blushed faintly. "...I-I mean, to our house!"

Seth looked from the blushing Yugi, to the equally blushing Yami. Then he smirked knowingly. "Ah...I see that you finally found your soul's mate, cousin...and it took you only 5000 years, congratulations."

Yami glared at Seth, but not with much force. "Oh, hush you." Then he turned to Ryou hopefully. "What about your house, Ryou?"

Ryou rose one eyebrow as like saying, 'are you as mad as Bakura?'. "And what do you think my father would say about that? He's already just barely agreeing to let 'Kura stay!"

" 'Kura?" Seth said with a smile tugging his lips.

"Shut up, priest." Bakura growled, and glared. But on his cheeks you could see a very faint, almost invisible blush. That nickname was something of a sour spot for Bakura, and he only let Ryou call him that so he wouldn't get cut off on the sex. (At least, that was what he said. We all know he loves it.)

Yami slowly turned to Seto. The brunet looked back at the former pharaoh, with a look in his eyes that clearly said; 'don't even ask.'

But, Yami still asked.

"Kaiba, do you think-"

"No."

"But, Kaiba-"

"No."

"Would you just li-"

"No."

Yami groaned, and glared at the stubborn CEO of Kaiba Corporation. "Fine! Why not let Seth take in on some sleazy hotel, and get taken for you, Kaiba? How interesting that would be for the press..."

Seto glared back, with all the iciness he could muster (which was a lot). "I do not budge for blackmail, you crazy spirit."

Before a full out war could begin between Yami and Seto, that most likely would end with several bruises and black eyes, another voice spoke up. "Yami, he...he can stay at my place..." Yami blinked, and turned to the person who had spoken.

Jou was blushing slightly, and glanced at Seth. "Um...I mean, my house will be empty for a while, Dad's in jail right now...ya know, if ya don' want anyone to know about Seth bein' here..."

His offer was met with silence, as Yami thought it over. Before he could answer, of course, Bakura decided that he had been quiet long enough, and he wanted to add his two cents to the conversation.

Bakura smirked. "Well, well, well, Jou...was Seth really such a good kisser that you want him to move in with you?"

Jou blushed even deeper, and looked away. "No! I-I mean..." He glanced at Seth again who rose one eyebrow. "...not tha' you're a bad kisser, not at all, you're really, really good...but tha's not the point!"

"Or is it...?" Bakura mumbled quietly, earning one more glare from the others. Especially from Seto, who really didn't like the thing Jou had said about Seth's kissing.

Jou was now red as a tomato, if not redder. "I'm jus' tryin' to be nice, that's all! Helping friends, ever heard of tha', _'Kura?_"

Bakura growled. He had had it with the 'Kura' nickname! He got up from his seat, walking towards Jou with an angry scowl. "You will pay for that, Jou! By Ra, you shall pay!" He made a jump for Jou's throat.

But he didn't even reach halfway.

Before he could take one more step, Seth grabbed the hem of his shirt and threw him onto the floor about one meter away. The blue eyes glowed with anger. "You will not touch a hair on Katsuya's head, tomb robber! I will kill you on the spot if you try it again!"

Silence fell over the room, and they all stared at Seth with wide eyes. He was still glaring at Bakura, who was glaring back, and seemed to fume with anger. Power glowed from every part of the ancient priest, threatening to burn down the house.

Or, Bakura's hair.

It was Jou who broke the silence. "Wow...tha' was cool. No one has ever done somethin' like that for me before..." The blond grinned. "I never thought Bakura could fly like that!"

Seth smiled slightly, and turned towards Jou. "Even if you are not the Katsuya I knew, you still remind me of him. The same personality, looks and voice..." His voice trailed off, and he blushed faintly. "...and the same beautiful smile."

Jou felt a blush spread over his cheeks again, and a smile of embarrassment was on his face, but it also showed appreciation. No one had ever given him such compliments, with such honesty. And Jou enjoyed every second of it.

In that moment, Seto Kaiba felt something inside him stir. It was a feeling he had never felt before, and therefore didn't know what it was. It made his soul burn and his heart clench, and made him think thoughts that was quite disturbing. What kind of thoughts?

Well, here you have a small summery of them.

"_What the hell is that Egyptian doing to my puppy!_"

"_Why is the mutt so damn responsive to him?" _

"_Why is Jou blushing like that when Seth gives him those compliments?"_

"_...why the hell do I care!"_

Seto shook himself slightly, and glared at Seth and Jou, who were still blushing a little at each other as Jou thanked Seth for the compliment, and shyly said that his smile was sort of sweet too.

Somehow, Seto really disliked the way Jou was responding to Seth's compliments and sweet words. And he even more disliked the way Seth _gave_ Jou those compliments and sweets words.

Not that he _cared_ or anything...it just annoyed him to hear so many sweet words at once. And Seth's voice was annoying too, with it's deep smoothness and sexiness. It should be forbidden to have such a voice. And it was even more annoying to hear that voice say those sweet words to Jou.

Somehow, Seto really disliked Seth. Really, really disliked. Loathed, maybe was a more accurate word. Or, hated? Maybe both?

Seto's thoughts on whether he really disliked, loathed or hated Seth was interrupted by Yami's voice, that seemed to cut through all thinking and actions.

"Jou, you sure you want to do that?" Yami asked hesitantly. "I mean, it won't be any troubles..."

Jou shook his head quickly. "No! Not at all!"

"Okay then...Seth, you'll stay at Jou's house." Yami said with a satisfied smile.

Seth smiled broadly, showing how much he liked where he had ended up, and then walked up close to Jou, stopping only one foot from him. The blond blushed as Seth leaned down to his level and smiled. "Thank you, Katsuya...wait, is it okay if I call you Katsuya?"

Jou nodded numbly and swallowed the large lump in his throat. "Y-Yeah, of course..." He blushed deeper. "...as long as I can call you Seth."

An even brighter smile reached Seth's face, and his white teeth were put on show. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Seth chuckled and then straightened his back. "Now then...shall we go?"

"Eager to be alone with him, are we?" Bakura said from the floor, with a sing song voice.

Seth smirked. "As a matter of fact, I am."

If one had though Jou was blushing deeply earlier, they just got proved that it wasn't even close to how red he really could go.

Seth wiped the smirk of his face, and then turned away from Bakura, to look at Yami. "I'll see you later, Atemu. May Ra shine upon you." With those last words, Seth grabbed Jou's arm in a gentle grip, and walked out of the game shop.

Silence endured for a few moments, before Seto spoke up with a growl. "I'll leave now. Tell the mutt that he'll have to pay for my dry-cleaning bill." And Seto left the shop, a horrible scowl on his face, and wet footsteps appearing wherever he stepped.

"So..." Bakura said after a minute of silence. "Who's up for some tea?"

On the streets of Domino with Seth and Jou Normal POV 

Jou stole a glance at the tall brunet walking next to him. The tunic that the man wore made him look a bit weird...but still, it gave Jou a perfect view on his tanned legs. Seth's steps were long and graceful, almost like he floated a little over the ground. To Jou, Seth looked like an angel...

Hold that thought.

"_Wait a minute...did I just think he looks like an angel? Tha's just weird! I mean, he's like a copy of Kaiba! With a hot tan...an' nice abs...an' other nice muscles...and he's a hell of a lot nicer and kinder than Kaiba, and has a way with words like no one else..._"

"What is on your mind, Katsuya?" Seth suddenly asked, glancing at the blond who's eyes seemed a bit dazed.

Jou twitched, and turned to Seth. "Nothin'! I was jus...thinkin' about...um..." He blushed. It was better to be honest, like he always was. "Actually...I was thinkin' about you."

Seth blinked, and then smiled softly. "Ah. Only nice thoughts I hope."

Jou's blush grew deeper, and he nodded furiously. "Y-Yeah. I...I couldn' possibly think bad thoughts about ya."

Seth stopped, and smirked towards the blond. "No bad thoughts? Are you sure that you would never-" He took a step closer to the shorter boy. "-think any..._bad_, thoughts about me?" He rose one eyebrow in a seductive way.

Jou blinked a few times, and then understood what the ancient spirit meant. His blush was back with full force, and he shook his head even more. "No! I mean yes! M-Maybe...err...oh, would ya look at tha', we're here!" Jou pushed his way past Seth, and fumbled to get his house-key into the lock of his house. But, the house just refused to stay still! Because it wasn't his hands that was shaking. Of course they weren't.

"_You hear me, hands?"_ Jou said to his hands, and glared at the shaking limbs.

Seth smirked behind the nervous boy's back. Even though he knew that it wasn't Katsuya from his time, he still liked this boy. Not only because he looked like his former lover. It was interesting and fun to tease him, and to make him blush like a virgin.

After fumbling with the lock for a few minutes, while Seth leaned comfortably against the wall next to him with a playful smirk, Jou finally got the door unlocked, and opened it with a creak. They walked in, and Jou closed the door behind them. "Dad, I'm home!" He shouted, while kicking off his shoes.

Seth turned to look at him with a risen eyebrow. "What? I thought you said that your father was in prison." The Egyptian looked very confused.

Jou blushed, and walked past him into the living room. "He is. It's just a habit." When the ancient priest just kept looking at him, Jou grinned. "Um, ya know...I used to call out when I got home before...when he was home."

Seth nodded, and then sat down in a sofa. It creaked loudly, like protesting about the added weight. "Hm...I think that I'll be able to feel at home at this place." He said, with a big smile. "Thanks for letting me stay here, Katsuya."

Jou blushed, and walked up to the fridge. "You're welcome...are ya hungry, Seth?"

The priest nodded, and smiled again. "It feels like I haven't eaten for ages..." He paused. "Wait, I haven't."

Jou laughed softly, and Seth's eyes shimmered in a pleased way. He had succeeded in amusing the other.

"Okay then, lets see wha' I've got..." The blond started searching trough the cabinets for food.

Seth watched him carefully, memorizing every detail of Jou. His heart twitched painfully. Jou looked so much like his past lover, and it hurt him. It reminded him of what he once had, and never would have again.

An idea reached Seth's mind. Not a good idea, but still an idea.

"_Or...maybe...I can be with Jou. I can never replace Jono, but I can still have someone to sooth the pain with. Besides...Jou is really nice, and beautiful...hm...I wonder how it would be to touch that smooth-looking skin of his..._"

"Seth?" Jou said worriedly, looking over his shoulder at the dazed man on the couch. When he didn't receive an answer, he frowned and walked up to Seth. He patted the priest on the shoulder, and softly spoke into his ear. "Seth?"

With an unintelligent 'what-who-huh?', Seth fell off the couch, and ended up sitting on the floor with a confused look on his face.

Jou giggled, and smiled down at Seth. "Good mornin', time to wake up."

Seth glared half-heartedly, and rose. With his height, he came to a intimidating position, and Jou gulped when the former priest walked closer to him. "Um...S-Seth? I-I'm really sorry, it was just a joke...Seth?" Jou backed at every step the other took against him. He didn't even dare to think about what the man would do to him when he got his hands on him...

Seth smirked inwardly, but kept a serious expression on the outside. It was time to have a little game...

Jou yelped when his back hit a counter behind him, and he couldn't back any further. He stared at Seth as he walked closer and closer to him, in small gliding steps. Soon, Seth stood only one inch from him, hands on the counter behind Jou.

Slowly, Seth leaned closer to Jou's face, and watched with amusement how Jou blushed deeper the closer he got. When he was only one inch from the other's face, Seth leaned passed Jou's head, and spoke softly in his ear, with a sensual growl. "I'm hungry."

Jou twitched, and then started to laugh. "G-God, you scared me, Seth! I thought you were gonna kill me or somethin'!"

Seth smirked and leaned back to look the other in the eye. "I would never kill someone as beautiful as you." His voice was completely sinister when he said this, and so were his eyes. Seth made it sound like the world's only truth with the way he said it.

Jou blushed again, and pushed Seth away from him so he could walk over to the fridge. "T-Thanks...um, do ya like pasta?"

Seth blinked. "P...asta? What is this... 'pasta' you're talking about?"

Jou turned around and stared at Seth. "You...don't know wha' pasta is?" A small smile was tugging his lips, and his eyes sparkled with amusement.

Seth glared and crossed his arms. "So what if I don't?"

Jou giggled, and turned to a cabinet. "Ya look so much like Kaiba when ya glare like that." He paused. "Which shouldn' be so surprising seein' tha' you are his grand-grand-grand-grand-father or somethin' like that."

"Hmpf. I would much rather say that he's my reincarnation. I sound so old when you say that I'm his grand-ancestor."

Jou snickered and took out some pasta and a saucepan. "Well, ya are, what, 5000 years old?"

Seth huffed. "I am not a year older than 4900."

**30 minutes later **

Jou put down a steaming plate of pasta and meatballs in front of Seth, and then took out a package with milk. "I trust ya know what milk is, right?" he said teasingly as he poured up a glass for Seth and then one for himself.

Seth glared. "I might be ancient, but I am not stupid."

Jou simply smiled to him and sat down opposite him. "Whateva'...lets get eatin'. Dig in, Seth!" He waved to the food. "Pasta á la Jounouchi, the most delicious dish you'll ever eat!"

The pasta Jou had made looked delicious, and smelled even better. It was covered with tomato sauce that Jou had made himself, and was served with meatballs.

Seth grabbed the fork, and inspected it for a moment, before he started spinning pasta onto it. When the fork was full, he rose it to his mouth, and put it in. Then he pulled it out again, and started chewing carefully. A serious look was to be seen on his face when he swallowed.

Jou watched him curiously, and swallowed his own fork-full of pasta. "So...wha'dya think?" The blond asked worriedly, and drank some milk.

Seth seemed to think about the question for a long while, before he smiled to Jou. "It tastes wonderful. Even though I have never tasted this...'pasta' before, I am sure that you are the best chef of it ever."

Jou blushed at the compliment, and ate some more. "It's just pasta..."

Seth shrugged, and took another fork-full of the pasta. "Maybe. But I haven't tasted any food for several millenniums, so I guess that can have something to do with that it tastes so good." He smiled. "Or maybe it is just the chef."

Jou smiled proudly, before eating some more. "Well, when ya live like I do, ya have to be able to take care of yourself..." His eyes suddenly saddened. "Especially when your dad don' have time to." He added softly.

Seth watched Jou carefully, and frowned when he saw the sad look in his eyes. "I'm sorry if I brought you bad memories, Katsuya."

Jou shook his head, and smiled again. Although, the smile was a bit forced. "Nah, it's alright. It doesn' matter anymore." Even though Jou sounded happy, you still could sense that he lied.

The rest of the meal was eaten silently. The silence felt like a large, wet blanket around them, almost suffocating them. The only sounds that broke the silence was the scraping of metal against plates and occasional gulps when the two swallowed.

Seth finished the last of his food and milk with a content sigh. It was such a long time since he ate, that he could have eaten a whole horse! But, seeing that there was no horse available, the spaghetti and meatballs would just have to do. Oh, by Ra, how he had missed food! But, above all, he had missed Katsuya. And he still did...

Seth shook his head at the unbidden thoughts, and turned his attention to the blond opposite him.

Jou sat with his head bent over his plate, watching the spaghetti carefully, and poking it with his fork. But he didn't eat it. He just kept poking it, like a kid would poke a dead jellyfish on the beach after it had stranded there.

Or, how a poker would poke something...pokeable.

Seth frowned at seeing that Jou had barely eaten anything; the plate was still half full. So, Seth decided to take the matter in his own hands.

The ancient priest picked up his fork, and reached over to Jou's plate. There, he spun up some of the long strands of spaghetti on the fork, and lifted it when he was done. "Open your mouth, Katsuya." He said softly, and looked into the brown, surprised orbs in front of him.

Jou stared for a second at Seth, and swallowed. "What are ya doin'?" He asked uncertainly, and blinked confusedly.

Seth smiled slightly, a sort of slanted smile that made him look unbelievably sexy. "I'm just making sure that you eat something. You're really way too skinny."

The blond blushed slightly at the remark, and glared. "I am not skinny. I just have high metabolism!"

"...high what?" Seth said, and leaned his head to the side in a confused manner.

"Err..." Jou scratched the back of his head. "Never mind..."

Seth shrugged, and then put the fork closer to Jou's mouth, gently probing at it. "Please, eat some more. For me?" He smiled that slanted smile again, and pleaded through his azure blue eyes in a way that made Jou's resistance crumble.

The blond sighed, and then smiled slightly. "Okay, fine." He opened his mouth some more, and let Seth put the fork into his mouth. There, Jou dragged the spaghetti off the fork with his tongue and lips, and started chewing when Seth pulled the fork out.

A bright smile appeared on Seth's lips, and he pierced a meatball with the fork and held it out for Jou. "Here, have some more." He cooed, and moved the food closer to Jou.

Jou then started laughing, and took the fork from Seth's hand, brushing their fingers together in the process. "Oh, stop it. Ya're acting like a mother..." He ate the meatball, and then handed back the fork. Seth took it, and smiled when Jou grabbed his own fork to eat the rest of the food from his plate.

When Jou was done, he took the plates and forks and carried them to the sink. There he put them down and opened the crane to let some water pour down on them. "I'll wash them properly later." He said to himself, and closed the crane again. Then he turned to get the rest of the stuff from the table.

Before he could even take a step closer to the table, Seth took the milk and looked around himself. "Where do I put this?" He asked, and leaned his head to the side in a questioning manner.

Jou blinked. "Uh...the refrigerator..."

Seth looked blankly at Jou, and then looked around himself. "...Katsuya..."

"...the large, white metal thing that buzzes."

Seth turned to the refrigerator (that really couldn't be called white with good conscience) and his face lit up. "A-hah!" He said, and opened it. Looking into it a bit, sniffing a little and scrunching his nose, he put the milk onto one of the shelves, and then closed it.

Jou smiled and laughed slightly as he removed the rest of the things from the table. "Sorry 'bout tha'...I forgot tha' you're not from this time. I guess ya remind me a bit 'bout Kaiba...it feels like I have him over at dinner actually." Jou grinned at the thought. Seto Kaiba in his part of the town, eating something as ordinary as pasta. He could just imagine the look of distain on Seto's face if he saw his apartment.

Jealousy bubbled up inside of Seth when he heard the mentioning of his reincarnation. And it bubbled even worse when he saw the happy grin on Jou's face. It sounded like Jou was found of the man. A suspicion hit Seth like a brick, and his eyes darkened.

"Are you and my reincarnation...lovers?" He asked, venom in his voice when he spat out the last word.

Jou's eyes widened to the sizes of plates at the question, and he quickly turned to look at Seth.

So quickly, in fact, that he fell over on the floor.

"What! Oh no, hell no!" He squeaked, (and very effeminate so), rising up on shaking legs. A blush bloomed on his cheeks, and he shook his head violently. "It's the opposite of tha'; Kaiba hates me! He insults me, and he always tells me tha' I'm useless and..." Jou looked away, a pained look in his eyes. "Never mind. We're not lovers, not even friends."

Seth felt relief for a second, before feeling anger blossom within his heart. "He says you're worthless! That man is not even worth cleaning your feet, Katsuya, don't you ever let him tell you otherwise!" Filled with emotion, Seth took two steps up to Jou and swept him into his arms to give him a warm embrace.

Jou stared at the Egyptian, a blush once again creeping up his cheeks. He patted Seth on the back awkwardly, and cleared his throat. "Thanks, Seth...tha's nice of ya to say, I really apprici-" Jou didn't get any further, because he was interrupted by a voice from the other room, coming closer.

"Jou? You in here, man? The door was unlocked, so I..." The voice had now reached the kitchen door, and went silent when it came to the opening. "...KAIBA!"

_**End Chapter!**_

Ooh, another small cliffy! Who can the mystery shouting person be? You'll see in the next thrilling(...err...whatever) chapter!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was fun to write it!

Now, please push that little purple/grey/Bob-coloured button and leave me a review! I love long reviews; they inspire me to write more! And so does short ones! Give me a piece of your minds, and tell me what you think!

-throws cookies at all of the readers- Bye, my pretties!

-The Blonde Midget! 


	3. Learning New Things

Yup, it's here! Another chapter, and another chance for me to make you happy! 

-yays!-

Anyways, thanks to all of you who reviewed last chapter! –bows- It was great to read all of them, and I was thrilled to see that so many of you likes it! –bows again- Thank you, my pretties!

And, I am really sorry that the updates are so slow. But, I have a problem writing right now. Not a writer's block, because I know what that's going to happen. But I just haven't felt like writing...I'm really sorry! The updates will be slow, but I'll try to update as fast as I can! I promise!

Enough of my rambling; lets get the story started!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Yami! (Yami: I, the great pharaoh without my memories from the past time, orders you to give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh! –looks superior-) --;

Pairings: Seth/Jou, and Seto/Jou. Jou?. Minor Yugi/Yami and Ryou/Bakura (The pairings I love to death!)

Warnings: Boy/Boy love, dumb humour and some Anzu bashing! Slight swearing.

Okay, that's all I need to say! Now, read, enjoy and review, people!

Chapter 3 

**Jou's house**

**Normal POV**

"...KAIBA!"

Jou quickly pulled himself out of Seth's warm fathom, and turned around to face the person who had spoke. His face was coloured in all shades of red imaginable when he saw who it was. "H-Honda?"

And yes. It was indeed Honda Hiroto who stood in the kitchen door, staring at Jou like he just grew an extra head. And then he stared at Seth with disbelief. "Jou, what the hell is..._Kaiba_ doing at your house!" The Honda's brown eyes suddenly narrowed with suspicion. "He's trying to bribe you into sleeping with him or something, right? He has done that before..."

Seth's gaze narrowed, and he started to growl ever so slightly. How dared that unknown guy speak to him like that? Then he realized what the guy had said; that Seto Kaiba had offered Jou to sleep with him for money! That made his eyes turn one shade darker.

Jou blushed deeply, but he still managed to hand Honda a poisonous glare. "Firstly, Honda, tha' was a bet he got from Yami. And secondly, if he had made such an offer fer real, I wouldn't go along wit' it! Ya should know tha'! And thirdly..." Jou pointed at Seth. "Tha's not Kaiba."

Honda blinked at Jou's yelling, which wasn't a normal thing (at least not to his friends). Then he turned to Seth and glared. "Not Kaiba? He's a fuckin' copy of him!"

"Yeah, but he's not Kaiba. He's...err..." Jou glanced at Seth, and at his clothes. He still wore the tunic, making it harder to figure out an excuse. And he didn't think that Honda would buy that he was Seto's past self (The boy already had hard to believe it about Yami and Bakura). So, Jou said the first thing he could come up with.

Although, that took some time to figure out.

"...he's...Kaiba's cousin! Yeah, his cousin, from Egypt!" Jou nodded vigorously, proud over himself for coming up with such a good excuse. "Aren't ya, Seth?"

Seth looked away from his glaring contest with Honda, and blinked confusedly at Jou. Then, after getting a wink from Jou, he nodded too, albeit hesitantly. "Yeah...right, his cousin. A very far off cousin." He added. "We're almost not related at all, actually. My name is Seth Karno, and I'm from Memphis."

"...Memphis? As in Memphis, America?" Honda said, looking very confused.

Seth rolled his eyes at the other's stupidity. "No, Memphis in upper Egypt, you moron." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Situated next to the Nile, the home of the pharaohs, blessed by Osiris with its perfect floods every year."

Silence followed his words, and Jou looked at him like he was crazy. Honda just looked confused.

"Seth, lets go over here and talk a little." Jou said, and lead Seth to the other side of the kitchen (which wasn't very far; about three steps.) Then he looked into Seth's eyes seriously. "Okay, Seth. You've been away for 5000 years..."

"4880, mind you." Seth scolded, and wiggled a finger disapprovingly at Jou.

Jou rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Well, some things has changed over the years...like, Egyptians doesn't have a pharaoh anymore, they don't believe in Osiris, Ra or any of the old Gods..." Jou coughed. "...and there's no upper and lower Egypt. Only Egypt."

Seth blinked slowly and progressed this new information. "...I guess they have stopped with slaves and slave trading too, right?"

"...uhu."

"Oh."

The two turned back to Honda, Seth looking a bit sad, and Jou handing his friend a beaming smile. "There. Well, Honda, is there something else you wanna ask about?"

Honda scratched the back of his neck. "Well...why is he wearing a...towel?"

"It's a tunic, damnit!"

"...I can explain that..."

**30 minutes later**

Honda finally left, looking even more confused and dumb than usual, and Jou and Seth was left alone again. Jou then decided that if Seth was to keep a lower profile while living in Domino, he'd better change to something different than a tunic that looked like a towel.

"For the last time; it doesn't look like a towel!" Seth said, and glared under his light brown bangs.

Jou shrugged, and pulled out a shirt from his drawer. "Whatever you say, Seth. Here, try this on." He threw the shirt on Seth, and continued looking through the drawers for a pair of jeans that would fit on Seth's long and muscular legs.

Seth glared at Jou once more, before he inspected the shirt. It was blue, like his eyes, and had many small buttons on the front.

Well, Seth didn't know they were called buttons. To him, it looked like small pieces of bendable rock.

He poked one of them, and frowned. "Err...Katsuya...?"

"U-hu?" Jou looked up from the drawer, and leaned his head to the side in a cute manner. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Yeah...what are these?" Seth poked a button again.

"...you've never seen a button before?"

"...button?"

"...I do wonder how ya managed to build those pyramids when ya don' even know how to handle a simple button."

**15 minutes later...**

After explaining to Seth how a button worked, and then the zipper (and was _that_ a tough experience...) Seth was finally dressed. Jou took a step back to look at his creation.

And then I mean with the clothes. Not some sort of Frankenstein experiment.

Seth was dressed in a pair of relatively new looking jeans, a white t-shirt, and over that the ever so famous blue shirt that was introduced earlier in the chapter. The shirt was open half way, and the t-shirt, which was quite tight –not on purpose, of course- showed off Seth's muscular stomach and chest.

The brown hair was slightly messy, due to the many shirts Jou got him to take on and off, and hung over his eyes before Seth forced some of it behind his ear with his hand. The azure blue eyes glinted with curiosity as Seth looked down on himself. "So...how do I look?" He asked nervously, and looked up at Jou again.

Jou simply stared, with a half awake grin. It hadn't occurred to him how hot Seth was in that shirt...and in those pants...was he drooling? Hm...what was he supposed to do again?

Or, right, answer Seth's question.

"You look...you look...uh..." Shaking his head slightly, Jou woke up from his dumbstruck faze, and beamed at Seth. "Ya look awesome! Any girl or guy would throw themselves at your feet!"

Seth smirked, and walked closer to Jou. Sneakily, he wrapped his arms around Jou's waist, and pulled him close. "Even you?" He purred seductively, and winked.

Jou blushed hotly, and pulled away quickly. "Um...I, uh...guess..." The blush turned one shade darker, and he looked away. "I have to call Yugi!" And with those words, Jou ran out of his room and slammed the door so hard that dust and paint rained down from the ceiling.

Seth looked at the place Jou had been standing one second earlier. Then he smirked, and sat down on the squeaky bed. "Yup, I still have it..." He said smugly, leaning backwards to lay down on the bed.

Jou leaned against the closed door, still blushing like a mellow tomato. His heart raced at a speed of 100 miles/hour, and he was positive that it would have jumped out of his chest if it had been able to. And then it would have run away, so far away it could get away from Seth and his seductive words.

Slowly, Jou lifted his hand to put it on his chest at the place where his heart beat fast. He closed his blurry eyes, and took a deep breath. _"Why do I feel like this?" _He asked himself, and took another deep breath. _"Seth's just joking with me, right? So there's no reason for me to get all...all...I don't even know what I am!" _Sighing, Jou walked up to his old, worn out phone to call Yugi.

After dialling, and waiting for three signals, Yugi picked up. _"Kame Game Shop, Yugi Mouto speaking! How can I help you?" _As usual, Yugi sounded perky and happy, like a five year old in a game shop.

...to which he had no similarities...not at all...onwards.

"Hi, Yug', it's Jou." Jou managed to say, and sighed. "So, how's everything at yer house?"

A soft sigh of annoyance was heard on the other line. _"Oh, you know...Yami and Bakura has tried to kill each other about thirty times already...stopped counting after the first ten times."_ Pause. _"And at your place? Seth is behaving himself, right?"_

Jou blushed, thinking back at the things Seth had done and said since he appeared at his door. Behaved? Well... "Of course he has. He's been a gem." Jou said, and smiled slightly. The smile soon turned into a frown, however. "But...Honda came over..." 

"_Ah...what did you tell him then?"_

Jou quickly told Yugi what he had told Honda. "So, did I do the right thing? Maybe I should 'ave told him..."

A slight ruffling sound indicated that Yugi shook his head. _"No, you did the right thing. The fewer who knows about Seth, the better. At least that's what Yami says." _

"Yeah, he's probably right...well, I'll see ya tomorrow at school, right?"

Silence. _"Jou...how should we do with Seth while you're at school?"_

Jou blinked. Well, there was something he hadn't thought of. "Oh...do ya think he can come with me? I can tell the teach tha' he's a transfer student tha's thinkin' about coming to our school?"

Yugi sounded excited when he answered. _"Yes, that's a great idea, Jou! I'll see you two tomorrow. Oh, before I forget-"_ The next moment, a loud crash was heard in the background, along with a fain shout of; 'Oh, I'll get you for that, Tomb Robber!' and 'Bring it on, pharaoh!'

Jou didn't even want to know what the two of them were doing.

Yugi groaned, and spoke again. _"I have to go, Jou. We'll talk tomorrow, okay? Bye!"_ And Yugi hung up before Jou could answer.

Jou looked on the phone in his hand, and then sighed as he put it down again. "Poor Yug'. Has to deal wit' the two of them all day..."

"Deal with who?" A voice said, only one inch from his ear.

"Aak!" Jou jumped high, and turned around quickly.

So quickly, in fact, that he once again fell over.

But this time, he didn't fall on the floor. No, instead, Jou fell straight into Seth's chest. A somewhat softer fall.

Jou blinked, his nose tightly pressed against Seth's chest. It smelled of...cinnamon. If Jou wasn't mistaking, Seto smelled like that too (and he only knew that due to their many fights that often ended with Jou being pinned down under a smirking Seto Kaiba...).

Reincarnations, and smelled the same too. Where was the world headed?

"You know..." Seth purred over him. "If you want to snuggle, you can just ask." Fingers played slightly at the base of Jou's back, causing goose-bumps to appear.

Jou's blush, which he had managed to banish earlier, was back full blast. This day, he had blushed enough for a whole lifetime.

He quickly pulled away, and tried to flatten his hair nervously. It was a nervous habit he had picked up a while ago. "S-Seth, don't ya know it's not polite to sneak up on people and SCARE THEM TO DEATH!" Jou glared at Seth. Although, the blush really took away the edge of the glare.

Seth chuckled. "Oh, I do know. I just can't help myself when you make yourself such a perfect target." He turned serious, and put one hand on Jou's blushing cheek. "You're not angry with me, are you?"

Jou felt his glare fall dead on the dirty floor as Seth's adoring gaze turned his insides to gush. "N...No...of course I'm not..."

Seth smiled and caressed Jou's cheek with his thumb before pulling away. "Good. I would never live it down if you were."

Jou turned around, and closed his eyes to fight down his blush. Not until it was fully gone, he turned back to Seth and smiled. "Okay. Well, Seth, I called Yugi earlier..."

"Yami's beloved one?"

"Err...yeah. And we decided tha' ya'll come wit' us to school tomorrow..." Jou explained the rest of the plan to Seth, who nodded along as Jou spoke.

When the blond was done, Seth scratched the back of his neck. "It's a good idea, Katsuya. But...what about my lacks of...knowledge of this time?"

Jou put a finger on his chin, pondering about this. "The teachers won' ask ya anythin' until ya actually start at the school..." He argued with himself. "...but the other students might ask ya questions about yerself and stuff ya like...'specially the girls..." Then, a grin reached his face. "Oh, I know jus' the perfect way of teachin' you about the modern world!"

Seth cocked an eyebrow, and blinked. "How?"

Jou's grin widened and pulled Seth down into the couch. "My friend, let me introduce you to something called a 'TV'."

**Several hours later...**

**21:15**

The two boys sat on the couch, munching on some popcorns and chips, watching a movie called 'Jurassic Park'. The movie was great, and so was the popcorns and chips. So, basically, they were both having a great time.

The first hour of watching TV, however, hadn't started out so well.

When Jou first turned on the TV, Seth had almost got an heart attack at seeing people, living people, look on him from the screen. He had jumped, not too gracefully, behind the sofa, and started to scream about dark magic and evil sorcerers that had trapped people inside the 'jar of horror'.

It had taken Jou over twenty minutes, some cooing, and brushing off angry neighbours to calm Seth down and pull him back to the couch. After explaining to Seth that it was just images of people on the TV, Seth had calmed down and started to watch the programs Jou showed him.

After channel surfing for a while, Seth found a show that he wanted to watch.

It was called Sunset Beach. (Insert music that scares you here.)

Jou had tried to explain to Seth that it was just a crappy soap opera, and something only chicks and Anzu watched. But, Seth insisted to watch it. And after having bribed Jou with a pout and slanted, sexy smile, the blond finally agreed to watch the show.

Soon, they were both deeply involved with the lives of Vanessa, Michael, Ben, Meg, Casey and all of the other people living in Sunset Beach. They even began to scream and throw popcorn at Ben's evil twin brother Derek, as he fooled Meg into believing that he was her beloved Ben.

Seventeen episodes of Sunset Beach and six bowls of popcorn later, Jou decided that it was time to find something more macho to watch. Ignoring Seth's whines over the channel switching ("But, Jou! Vanessa was just about to find out about her pregnancy test, how can you be so cruel!), Jou found a few episodes of 'The Simpsons', 'Friends', 'Family Guy', the end of a football game (Manchester United vs. Chelsea 1-3) , and eventually the movie 'Jurassic Park'.

Which they now were watching.

Seth was terrified, pressing closer and closer to the back of the sofa as the Tyrannosaurus Rex charged towards them, roaring in rage. When the monster finally attacked, Seth flung himself towards Jou, and clutched on to his waist with all of his might. "AAAH! Get it away from me, get it away from meeee!" Seth screamed, and hid his face in Jou's chest.

Jou barely reacted; Seth had done that in every scene a dangerous dinosaur came into the screen. "Seth, fer the very last time; the Rex can't get to ya. It has been dead for I-don't-know-how-many years."

Seth froze for a second. "Oh. Forgot that."

"For the tenth time?"

"...I have a bad close memory?"

"..."

"...what?"

"..."

"...what, I _do_!"

Jou only sighed, and returned to watching the movie. "I can't even begin to think wha' tha' would happen if we watched a horror flick..."

Two hours and three more bowls of popcorn (plus some Cheerio's when the popcorn was out) later, the movie was over and everyone was safe.

Well, except the people who died in the movie.

Jou yawned, and put away the seven bowls that they had been switching between into the kitchen. He stretched his back, who had gone very tense after laying in the couch for so long. "Oh, man...I'm so tired..." Jou checked the clock on the wall. "Oh, damn...over eleven already. We have to go to sleep now, Seth..."

When he got no answer, Jou turned towards the couch to see what caused the sudden silence.

Seth laid, clothes wrinkly and with popcorn crumbs on his chest, and slept against one of the many pillows on the couch. His face was relaxed, and his breathing smooth and steady. He probably had been asleep for a while before the movie ended.

A silent 'aaww...' passed through Jou's lips as he watched the ancient priest sleep. He was positively adorable when he slept, and even more so when he made a cute sniffle in his sleep, and turned over to his back.

"_I can't wake him up now..."_ Jou cooed inside his mind, and sighed. So, instead of cruelly waking the other up, Jou fetched a blanket from a cupboard. With a smile, Jo spread the blanket over Seth's sleeping form. Seth stirred a little in his sleep, but then clutched the blanket tighter around himself.

After watching the adorable sight for a few more seconds, Jou reluctantly walked into his own bedroom. There he quickly set his clock on seven am (which was a very cruel time to wake up according to Jou. Noon would be decent.) and then changed into a large t-shirt that reached halfway down his thighs. Then he crawled into his bed for a night's well earned sleep.

Seth cracked one eye open and glanced to the way that Jou had disappeared. With a smile, he closed the blue orbs again and sighed sleepily. "Good night, Katsuya, my love." He mumbled, before falling dead asleep.

**End Chapter!**

...well, um. That was a weird chapter. Not much happened, it was more of a filler to this story. –shrugs- It was a chapter anyway. Next chapter will be funnier and longer. (Hopefully funnier at least.)

Ah, for those of you who doesn't know; Sunset Beach is a real tv-show. And I used to watch it when I was younger. Then, it was the one show I never missed, and I was a faithful follower of it. I was a Sunset Beach-aholic. But now, I have recovered. And I wonder how I could even watch it in the first place. Just a small thing I wanted to share with you...

Okay, now I hope that you will all review! Please, review, and I will reward you will a new chapter! (I love long reviews! And short ones too of course...Reviews!)

-The Blonde Midget! 


	4. School Starts

Hi, everyone! Hold on to your socks, because here comes a new chapter! And it's a longer one! And with lots and lots of humoristic and adorable romance! –fangirl squeal- ! Yes, thanks everyone who reviewed last chapter, it was very kind of you! I was so, so, so happy to read every review, and I was grinning like a maniac (which I'm not. Absolutely not. Shut up.) while reading them all! Thanks again! –throws out everyone's favourite cookies- 

-munches on chocolate- Well...I'll get this story going then!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Yugi! (Yugi: -does the puppy eyes- Pwease, give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh? Lawyers: ...

-glares-) :3 Well, at least he's cute...

Pairings: Seth/Jou, Seto/Jou, Jou?. Bakura/Ryou, Yami/Yugi.

Warnings: Boy/Boy love, bad grammar, and lots of silly humour! Oh, right, and Anzu bashing.

Well, that's all I need to say! –puts on her socks- Story starts...now! R-E-R people! (Read, Enjoy and Review!)

Chapter 4 

**Jou's room**

**Normal POV**

**-Thud- **

"RA BE DAMNED FLOOR!"

The first thing Jou did when he heard this was thinking that a thug had broken in to his apartment. So, naturally, Jou flew up from his bed to reach for the closest weapon available.

Which just happened to be a sneaker.

Then, some sense decided to come back to Jou's morning-groggy head. (Yes; head. In the morning, Jou's brains were still fast asleep.)

Why would a robber (if it wasn't Bakura) say 'Ra be damned floor'?

The earlier day's happenings came back to Jou, and he realized who it was who had screamed from his living room. Jou relaxed, and dropped the shoe again. Everything was fine then. He could just go back to sleep. What was the time anyway?

Jou turned to the clock on his bedside table. Red numbers flashed back at him, brighter than Rudolf's red nose.

**06:00**

Jou silently watched the numbers for a while. Slowly, the meaning of the three zeros and one six came to him and told him exactly what time Seth had woken him up.

Six. In. The. Fucking. Ra damned. Morning.

For a few seconds, Jou could say nothing.

Only for a very few seconds.

"SETH, YOU ARE DEAD AS NAPOLEON!"

He was met with silence from the other room for a second.

"...Napoleon?"

**06:30**

"...and if you ever wake me up before seven am again, I will kick your ass so hard that you'll have to do your business through your belly button!"

Panting, Jou leaned against the wall of his living room, and glared at Seth. Said Seth sat on the couch, looking quite petrified. But only for a second. Then his eyes turned soft, and apologetic. "Katsuya, I am really sorry about that. I really didn't mean to wake you up, I was just shocked when I hit the floor..." He looked down on the floor, and looked really ashamed.

All Jou's anger ran off him within one second, and his heart turned to gush. "Oh, Seth...i's okay, really. I know ya didn' mean to wake me up..." Jou stopped himself, and shook his head to get rid of all the fluff within his head. "...err, nevermind. I'll just make breakfast and then we'll go to school."

Seth nodded happily, and then hesitated. He looked down at the messy clothes that he had slept in, and then looked back to Jou. "Um...Jou? The clothes..."

Jou simply smiled. "I have fixed that already. Jus' go into my room..." Jou pointed to his door. "...and you'll find clothes on my desk."

Seth smiled, and skipped off towards the pointed bedroom.

Jou looked after him for a while, before turning to the kitchen with a low sigh. "Breakfast time..." Yawning, Jou poured up two bowls of cereals and milk, and two glasses of apple juice and carried it to the table. Then he made sandwiches that they would eat at lunch (seeing that the school lunch was uneatable. Even for Jou, who would eat anything that wasn't alive.)

After having made two sandwiches with peanut butter and strawberry jam –yummy- for himself, he started making sandwiches for Seth too. "Hey, Seth? Wha'dya want on your sandwich?" He called over his shoulder and waited for an answer.

"I guess you're not on the menu?" Came the sly answer, from the table as far as Jou could determine.

Jou blushed slightly, but didn't turn around. "No, I am not, you cannibal. And, seein' that you were so rude, I'll make ya a plain cheese sandwich."

"Oh, boohoo."

Jou quickly finished the sandwiches and turned to Seth to start eating the breakfast.

Though, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Seth.

Seth was dressed in black leather pants, that was unorthodoxly tight, and an equally tight azure blue t-shirt with a v-cut at the throat. Over the t-shirt he wore a leather jacket, in the same colour as the pants. His hair was kept out of his face with a blue frontlet, and brown bangs fell over it, covering it slightly.

Jou ogled. And then ogled some more. And then he ogled even more, just for good measure. Only one word could describe Seth's look; Sexy. Hot would probably do too. Maybe even handsome.

"...Katsuya?" Seth said hesitantly, and leaned his head to the side. "Are you...okay? You look weird."

Jou was thrown out of his stupor, and shook his head quickly. "Oh, I'm just fine! Fine, nothin's wrong! I wasn't staring, I was just...nevermind, lets eat!" And Jou jumped to the table and started eating his cereals so quickly it was amazing that he didn't choke.

Seth just gave him an odd look, before eating his breakfast, in a more healthy and controlled way. After all, he didn't want to die by choking on some badly chewed cereal.

Like Jou did five times.

After the breakfast, Jou glanced on a clock on the wall. Seeing that it was seven fifteen, Jou decided that they should be going. After all, it could be good to be in time for school.

The two boys walked out of the apartment, and Jou guided Seth along the streets of Domino. He pointed at buildings, and explained what that happened in them. Seth would at times point at something and ask what it was. (Like, what a traffic light was for. And boy, did that take a long time to explain to him...)

Then, when they were half way to school, a limo drove past them. And not just any limo. It was the black and sleek limo that was owned by a certain brunet CEO that was named after a seahorse(1).

Seth simply stared at the blank and shiny vehicle. "...Katsuya, what is that?"

Jou glared at the limo that drove around the corner and disappeared out of their sight. "Tha', my friend, is called a limousine. Or, a limo for short. And it's a car tha' only rich and snobby people ride in."

Seth whistled. "Ah, like a horse instead of a camel?"

Jou looked blankly at Seth. "...somethin' like tha'." Then he sighed, and glared at the corner that Seto's limo had disappeared around. "And tha' was Kaiba's limo."

"So, my reincarnation is rich then?" When Jou nodded, and mumbled something about 'too damn rich for his own good', Seth smirked. "Good to see that he earns his noble bloodline well."

"What noble bloodline?" Jou joked, and giggled when Seth glared.

Before Seth could retaliate for the minor insult, a cry was heard behind them. "Jou! Seth! Wait for us!" The boys turned around.

Yugi came running towards them, waving happily and smiling broadly. So broadly that one would think that his face would split in two. (Which it didn't, luckily. It would be hard for the pavement cleaners to get rid of the stains...)

Behind him was Yami too, who looked winded. It seemed that the former pharaoh didn't have much stamina. (At least not with running...-wink-)

"Hi, Yug'!" Jou said when the two look-alikes reached up to him. "How's the two of you this wonderful mornin'?"

Yami blushed slightly, and looked away. "Don't talk about it." He muttered, and crossed his arms. To Jou, he reminded of a spoiled five year old that hadn't got the Christmas present he wanted.

Yugi giggled, and looked amusedly at Yami. "Oh, Yami is just angry because he melted the toaster this morning."

Jou rose one eyebrow. "Didn't he do that last week too?"

"Uhu." Yugi nodded. "And the week before that."

Yami glared at the two grinning teens. "Shut up."

Seth blinked confusedly, and leaned down to Jou. "Katsuya, what's a 'toaster'?" He frowned. "Is it something you always melt...is it some sort of a candle?"

Yami glared even more, this time on Seth. "Just you wait until you try to use a toaster yourself, cousin. Then you'll understand how hard it is..."

Yugi patted the scowling Yami on the arm soothingly, and then smiled towards Jou. "Come on, lets go to school now, 'kay? Ryou and Bakura are probably already there."

School 

**08:00**

**Normal POV **

The four teens walked in to the schoolyard. Jou and Yugi chatted about a new Magic and Wizards card that would soon be released, whilst Yami and Seth talked about something that had happened in Egypt back in their time. Apparently, it was something funny, because both of them were laughing like there were no tomorrow.

"...and then the whole mess ended up on the head priestess of Bast!" Yami howled, and Seth threw his head back and roared with laughter.

"O-Oh my Ra, my sides...oh damn..." Seth dried a tear out of his eye, and chuckled a little more. "That poor woman...she must have choked when..." Seth didn't get any longer on that sentence.

"OH MY GOD; SETO KAIBA!" A girl squealed from not too far away, and before they knew it, a bunch of girls had surrounded Seth. Yami, who unfortunately had stood in the way, was rudely pushed out of the crowd of giggling and squealing girls, and ended up on the concrete yard with a groan of pain.

The girls were all googly eyed over Seth, who they believed was Seto Kaiba. Seth was simply confused.

"Seto, ohmyfuckingod,willyoumarryme! Orgoonadate! Orkissme!"

"Oh, Seto, have you gotten a tan!"

"Like, wow! You're even hotter than when I saw you enter the school building one hour ago!"

"...-faints-"

Seth looked uneasily at the girls, and smiled uncertainly. "Err...there must have been some sort of mistake..." He mumbled, and tried to push his way past the small crowd of girls.

One of the girls gasped when he tried to push his way past her. "OH MY GOD; HE TOUCHED ME! I'M NEVER TAKING A SHOWER AGAIN!" She squealed, and then fell

over in a drop dead faint.

Seth stared at the limp girl for a second, turning paler every second. Then he looked over the heads to Jou, who looked like he wanted to either laugh or strangle the fan girls. "Katsuya..." He said pleadingly, a desperate look in his eyes.

All the girls gasped like one. They all turned to look at Jou, who uncertainly looked back. It was like a dark cloud had drawn over the girls' heads, and their eyes shot deadly lightnings towards Jou.

"Katsuya! Since when did Seto Kaiba call Jou by his first name!"

"That's so unfair!"

"Are the two of them dating!"

At that last question, all the girls glared so hard at Jou that he was positive that, if looks could kill, he'd been long dead by know. And dumped in a dumpster in a dark alley that smelled of fish intestines.

"Um...no..." Jou said and laughed uneasily. "But tha's not Kaiba...it's his cousin from Egypt. He's gonna transfer to this school..."

The girls all turned back to Seth, who took a step backwards due to pure reflex. A reflex to run away as far as he possibly could.

"Cousin?"

"Egypt?"

"Transfer?"

"Not Kaiba?"

There was silence amongst the girls for a second. Then they all squealed so loudly that you could have mistaken them for an air-raid alarm.

"Oh my God, there's two of them!"

"Two totally hot Kaibas in one school!"

"And one with a totally hot tan!"

"And that smiles!"

"...-faints-"

Seth suddenly found himself under attack from several giggling girls that now clung to various parts of his body. He started to cold sweat slightly, and tried to scoot away from them.

Which proved to be impossible; they were like glued to his arms and legs.

"Katsuya..." He whispered again, and looked over to the blond with a pleading look. Jou now really looked like he wanted to laugh more than strangle the girls. But, even though he found the scene hilarious, he decided that he should help Seth.

"Hey, girls! I saw Kaiba walk in to the locker room. He said somethin' about taking a shower..." Before he could even end the sentence, the girls was gone.

And Seth's jacket with them.

Seth stared at the place where the girls had been only one second ago. Then he looked at Jou. "...what...was...that?" He whispered, looking terrified.

And for good reasons too.

Jou shrugged. "Fan girls. Kaiba has tons of 'em. Ya have to look out. They can be quite..." Jou searched for the right word. "...obsessive?"

Seth looked at Jou blankly. "...save me." He whispered, and threw himself into Jou's arms. He snuggled into the blonde's chest and looked really frightened.

Jou blushed slightly, and patted Seth on the back, glancing at Yugi and Yami. The two boys with the freakish hair were both grinning, and looked like they wanted to laugh. Which they didn't, in care of their friend.

It was then a shrill ring was heard.

The first warning bell.

Jou quickly pulled away from Seth, and smiled. "Okay, we have to go in now. Tha's the first bell, and we should be in the classroom before the next one."

Seth pouted from not being in Jou's arms any longer, but still followed suit when they walked into the building.

The second they entered the classroom, the whole room went silent. All the students turned to stare at them, their mouths half open. Or, well, they all stared at Seth. Then they turned their gazes to Seto, who sat and half stared and half glared at Seth. He didn't look happy about seeing the man there. At all.

Seth, who started to feel a bit uncomfortable under all the stares, scooted a little closet to Jou. Jou glanced at Seth for a second, before smiling and taking his hand in a way to calm him.

The action caused a unison gasp to erupt throughout the room, and suddenly all the girls started to sob loudly.

"Just as I thought! That guy was _way _too hot to be single!"

"Why, God, WHY!"

"All hot guys in this class are gay! It's so unfair!"

"Damn you, Jounouchi! All hot guys goes for you!"

All the girls suddenly stopped sobbing, to glare hatefully at the blond.

Jou blushed deeply at their thoughts of him and Seth being a couple. "No! Seth's not my boyfriend, ya nutcases!" He yelled, and blushed even worse when the straight guys in the class started laughing lowly behind their hands. "A-and all hot guys doesn' go for me!" He squeaked helplessly. Cue more laughs.

In that moment Jou said the last sentence, their teacher, Mr. Neosho entered. (A/N: Yes, Mr Neosho is back!) He rose one of his white eyebrows, and put down his briefcase on his desk.

"Mr. Jounouchi, even though I find your personal life utterly interesting, I think that we should start the lesson instead." He said with his croaking voice that would remind you of a crow. Or, Anzu's brain when she tried (and failed) to think.

The blush on Jou's cheeks intensified, and he spun around. "S-Sorry, Mr. Neosho." Then he pulled Seth with him to the teacher's desk, and pointed at him. "Um...this is Seth Karno, and he's thinking about transferring to this school."

Neosho looked up from the papers he had on his desk, and looked blankly at Seth. After watching him for a while, he spoke.

"You remind me of someone..." He muttered, and stroke his chin. "Hm...I just can't put my finger on it..." Then he shrugged, and pointed to the seat next to Jou. "Alright then. You can sit next to Mr. Jounouchi here." Then the teacher smirked, and he added in a stage whisper; "But look out; Jounouchi is quite a man-eater."

Jou blushed again, and pulled Seth with him to the pointed seat. "Stupid teacher..." Jou mumbled, and sat down in his seat, and Seth sat down in the one next to Jou. Just because a few guys hit on him on different occasions, it didn't make him a man-eater. He couldn't help that many people seemed to find him attractive. Could he? Hello, he was a hot guy!

...then just why didn't any _girls_ find him attractive?

Mr. Neosho now opened a file, and smiled to his class. "Well, students. I've got the honour of adorning you with new seats."

A chorused groan was heard throughout the classroom, and Mr. Neosho rose his hands for silence. "I know, I know. But it will be a fun way of testing new groupings. Who knows, you might even end up with a few new friends!"

If Anzu had been in the classroom, she would have squealed with joy.

Alas, she was not.

So, instead a low mumble of 'idiot teacher' and 'new friends and groupings, my ass' was heard in the classroom.

Bakura, who had been busy sucking at his hikari's neck, suddenly rose. The brown eyes shone with anger and disbelief. "This is preposterous! I refuse to have my hikari seated somewhere else than next to me! I mean, who will give him his daily first-class-hicky!" He gave a quick glare around the classroom. "And that was _not_ an invitation."

"..." Ryou bowed his head down, his face in an adorable shade of red. Just like his neck.

Mr. Neosho simply looked at Bakura until the ancient spirit sat down again with a mumble of 'Ra damned teacher-glare'.

"Well, now that we have that done..." Neosho looked down at his list, and frowned. "Hm...I guess that this new student should sit next to you, Jounouchi...but I've already seated you next to someone...well, we'll make that a three seat then." He scribbled down something on the paper in his hand, and then smiled. "Lets see then...Sudoko and Hiroshi, by the window..."

After a few minutes, and several groans and squeals later, Neosho started to arrange seats for our gang.

"Ryou Bakura...next to Toya Soshi." Ryou gulped, and glanced at Bakura before rising. Toya, a hot, rich and popular guy with short black hair with blue streaks smirked self-consciously, rose too, and walked up to Ryou, who already had seated himself in the new seats. When he passed Bakura's bench, he was stopped by a harsh hand that grabbed hold onto him.

Bakura's brown eyes glared heatedly at Toya, and a low growl was heard from the mans throat. "Listen, dumb fuck. Touch one hair on my hikari, and you'll regret you were ever born." On the tone of Bakura's voice, you could tell that he wasn't joking.

Toya, however, seemed unaffected by that. He simply grinned, and pulled free. When he answered, it was with such a low voice that only Bakura heard him. "I'd go on a search for a new boyfriend, if I were you." With those words, Toya strode up to Ryou's desk.

He leaned over it, and smiled towards Ryou, who blushed when the teen came only one inch from his face. "I think we'll have a great time, Ryou." Toya mumbled, his brown eyes scanning Ryou's body. "You'll just have to...adjust." And then he sat down next to Ryou.

Before Bakura could start a war against Toya, Neosho spoke again. "Bakura...next to Yami-"

"NO WAY IN HELL!" Both teens roared in unison, and then glared at each other.

"I will not sit next to a...a...tomb robber!" Yami said, and pointed at Bakura with a completely horrified expression on his sexy features.

"Likewise!" Bakura called out. "I will not sit next to a pompous pharaoh who has a leather fetish!"

"Like you don't!" Yami spat back, and glared.

"My fetishes are knifes and Ryou, dumb fuck!"

"..." Cue deeper blush for Ryou.

"Enough!" Mr. Neosho roared, and glared at the two teens. "You sit as I tell you. Move to your new seats."

"..." Neither of the boys made a single movement to move to their new seats. They just glared at each other and Neosho.

A vein in the teacher's forehead popped out. "NOW!"

Before anyone could even blink, Bakura and Yami sat in their seats next to each other. Both looked angry, but also slightly frightened by the teacher's behaviour. No matter how brave and feared they had been in Egypt, it was nothing against how fearsome a teacher could be.

Mr. Neosho cleared his throat, and then continued speaking. "Oh yes, where were we...oh, right. Yugi, next to Anzu..." He looked up and then frowned. "She doesn't seem to be here today..."

"She's on a vacation!" Yugi said quickly, and blushed when all gazes turned to him. "Um...v-very far away..." He mumbled, and looked down on his desk, which suddenly seemed to be of very great interest.

And, I mean, desks are very fascinating!

Neosho shrugged, mumbling something about 'one gone, thirty to go', and then spoke again. "Honda, next to Ryuji..."

Ryuji sighed deeply, and rose. "Man, I thought I'd get Jou..." He said in a dramatic voice, and then sat down next to Honda. "And then I get spike-boy..."

"Better than having dices instead of brains..." Honda mumbled, earning himself a well-aimed dice in his temple. "Yeouch! Teach', Otogi shoots dices on me-ouch!" Another dice ended up in Honda's head.

Mr. Neosho merely nodded, and looked down on his list to continue. "Oh, good, good...well then. Mr. Kaiba will be seated next to..."

All girls in the class who hadn't got their seats yet got shiny looks in their eyes. Silence spread over the classroom, and the tension grew. Who would be the ever so lucky person to sit next to the school's nr.1 bachelor? You could almost feel the excitement in the air as they waited for the teacher to end the sentence.

The only one who was completely uninterested in the new seat were the nr.1 bachelor himself. _"Spare me..." _Seto said inside his head, and rolled his eyes at the girls' excitement.

Mr. Neosho, who had seemed to hold out the sentence as long he could (five seconds), now spoke again. "...Mr. Jounouchi-" That was all he got out before a storm broke out.

A storm of yells from heartbroken girls, that was.

"No! Not him too!"

"Jou, you horrible, horrible egoist! Leave some for us!"

"Mr. Neosho, it's unfair!"

"You're dead, Jou!"

The blond gulped, and shrank down in his seat as the girls of the class glared venomously at him. "M-Mr. Neosho...I...I don' wanna sit next to Kaiba..." He whispered, and gulped again.

Neosho shrugged. "Sucks for you." Then he looked down on the list again. "And, as I was saying, Seth will sit on the other side of Jounouchi..." Cue another storm.

"WHAT!"

"That is beyond unfair!"

"Why does Jou get both Kaiba and the guy who looks just like him!"

"I demand a revote!"

"There wasn't a vote to begin with." Seto said, and rolled his eyes in silent prayer for patience over the stupidity that seemed to surround him.

"...whatever! I demand new seats!"

"SILENCE!" Mr. Neosho exploded, and glared out over the entire class.

Suddenly, it seemed like the entire class had got their tongues eaten by pink pandas. The silence that followed Mr. Neosho's roar of anger was so silent that you could actually hear crickets chirp outside.

...even though the nearest cricket was seven miles away, happily chirping, unknowing about the eruption from Mr. Neosho.

With a small cough, Mr. Neosho spoke again. "You all sit where I place you, and I do not, under any circumstances, want to hear any more complaining. If anyone says something more, you will all get detention!" Mr. Neosho glared out over the class, daring someone to speak.

Of course, no one did. They were too busy moving to their new places.

Jou gulped slightly when he sat down between Seth and Seto. This was possibly the worst situation he had ever been put in. Not even being under Marik's mind control had been anything compared to this. Sitting between two lions had been much, much safer. Because these guys were more violent about their territories.

...did that sound weird, or was that just his own imagination?

"Well then..." Mr. Neosho said, when all students sat in their new seats. "I'll give you all a few minutes to get used to your new seats, and chat, while I go and fetch some material." And, with those words, Mr. Neosho walked out of the classroom.

The same second the door closed, all students started to talk and, as Anzu would say, make lifelong connections in the happy world of friendship!

Or, as a normal person with more than a half brain cell would say, started to get to know each other.

The two brunets glared at each other over Jou's head, and their blue gazes clashed together like two swords. Jou could only bow his head down and pray that his life would be spared when the two of them _really_ would start an argument. 

"So." Seto said suddenly, with a voice that was as cold as ice. "What brings you here?" Silently, he was also asking 'and when will you leave?'

Seth shrugged. "I'm widening my horizons." A smile suddenly appeared on his face as he wrapped an arm around Jou's waist. "And, Katsuya said it would be best if I came along."

Jou blushed slightly when he was pulled closer to Seth. But he didn't pull away or protest. It wasn't like what Seth was doing meant anything. It was just an innocent hug. A friendly hug.

...so, just why was his heart beating twice as fast?

Seto's eyes narrowed. For unknown reasons, he didn't like that 'innocent hug' at all. Those unknown reasons were unknown to him, and would remain so. Why? Because they were not important, and not anything that Seto wanted to ponder on.

And it wasn't that he was afraid that his ponderings would lead to some sort of crazy emotional revelation. Of course not.

But, the unknown reasons still made him glare even harder at Seth. Before he could come up with some venomous and devastating answer that would deeply insult Seth's persona, a cry of pain was heard from behind them. The three boys turned around to see what that had caused this outburst.

Toya Soshi, the guy who had been placed beside Ryou, laid on the floor, sporting a bloody nose. Ryou, who still sat in his seat, looked completely horrified, and paler than usual. Behind the pale boy stood Bakura, looking completely furious.

"I warned you, you twit! No one touches my hikari-"

"Bakura, he didn't touch me..." Ryou whispered, staring at the boy on the ground.

"...well, no one drops dirty pickup lines to my hikari-"

"...he asked me what books I like..."

"...alright then...but he's got an ugly haircut! No one disgraces my hikari's eyes like that, without getting the bitter taste of their own blood!"

"..." To this, Ryou had no clever answer. He wasn't even sure he had any answer _at all_ to that claim.

Toya, who still held his nose, was starting to turn a shade of grey. "I feel dizzy..." He whispered, and groaned.

In that moment, Mr. Neosho came back with a pile of papers in his hands. When he saw Toya on the floor, and Bakura standing behind Ryou glaring, Neosho sighed. "Why does that always happen in _my_ classes?" Shaking his head, he put down the papers on his desk. "Well, Ryou, could you be so kind to follow Toya to the nurse's office? The rest of you, sit down"

Ryou gulped. Of course, he didn't want to; Bakura would go crazy with jealousy (more crazy than he already was, anyways). But, it would be much worse to say against a teacher; what if he lost one of his perfect grades!

So, the pale boy rose, and took Toya by the arm to help him out. Toya made a great show of being dizzy and ill, so he just _had_ to lean against Ryou with an arm around his neck before they exited the classroom.

Hell, he could have got an Oscar for that performance!

Bakura growled deep down in his throat, but still sat down in his adorned seat. That Toya-guy would pay later. And he would pay dearly. Dearly indeed!

As Bakura kept on plotting on his revenge, Mr. Neosho started to hand out papers to the students. "Now that we've got that all figured out, I want to inform you on an event that will soon occur. Our class will go on a small trip to a water palace in town."

A low murmur went through the whole class, and then they all started whispering about how fun it would be. And, of course, how hot the girls/guys would be in their swimming wear. The girls threw appreciating looks at Seth, imagining how he would look without a shirt.

Seth, however, was far too busy being confused about the term water palace. "Katsuya...what's a water palace?" He whispered, and blinked. Of course he knew what water was. And a palace, seeing that he had lived in one for the most of his life. But a water palace...

Jou blinked, and gave it a thought. How would he explain that? "Oh! Um...it's...a large house with pools...an' other things that you can play wit' in the water...am I making any sense?"

"Like you ever do..." Seto mumbled, not even glancing at him.

Both Seth and Jou glared at him. Then Seth smiled, and looked Jou in the eye. "Yes, Katsuya. I think I understand perfectly. It's like the bathing houses in ancient Egypt. At least, that's how I imagine it..." He leaned his head to the side, asking for affirmation.

Jou smiled widely, and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Though, I think this place is a tad bit bigger than those in Egypt."

Mr. Neosho cleared his throat, making a stop in all the whispers and drooling over the thought of Seth's bare upper body. "Thank you. Now, I have booked the water palace 'The Nile', which, as the name tells you, holds an Egyptian theme. Because, we're going to read about the ancient Egypt for a while now."

"FINALLY!" Bakura and Yami cried out in unison, and then glaring at each other for stealing their word.

"..." The entire class stared at Bakura and Yami for a few seconds, before turning back to Mr. Neosho.

The old man simply smiled for a second, before pointing at the paper in his hand. "Now, I want you all to go home to your parents, and ask them to sign this so that you can go. I need a signed agreement from your parent, or supervisor, to let you come with. No signature, no trip." Mr. Neosho hesitated for a second, before turning to look at Jou. "Of course...there are a few exceptions..."

Jou didn't meet the teacher's gaze. A blush had started to grow on his cheeks, and he bit his lip.

Everyone knew about that Jou's dad was in jail, and had been for a week. It had been all over the news, so no one could have possibly missed it. If they hadn't seen it on the TV, or read it in the newspaper, someone had told them, while casually chatting. It was still one of the hottest subjects of gossip in school.

Mr. Neosho spoke again. "Mr. Jounouchi, I already have signed a paper for you...and for Mr. Kaiba too." Why he had signed Seto's was obvious, and no one reacted. Not even Seto, even though one could notice a small flash of unreadable emotion in his eyes for a second.

Bakura hesitantly rose one hand. "Teach', Ryou's father isn't home for the moment. He's in Egypt, digging. So, neither of us can get a signature."

Mr. Neosho nodded. "Very well. But I know that you have a butler which is a good friend of your father. His signature will do."

Now, Seth also rose a hand. "Sir, if I may...I do not have anyone to sign for me either. My parents are...unreachable for the moment." Now, that was not completely true.

But, there was no reason for Mr. Neosho to know that they had been dead for almost five millenniums. He wouldn't even ask about it.

Mr. Neosho rose one eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Damn.

"Well...they're still in Egypt, you see...I moved here without them." Seth hesitated. "And sending a letter will take several days...I don't think I'll get an answer in time."

Mr. Neosho stared at Seth, and then a wide smile grew on his lips. "You're from Egypt? Why didn't you tell me so!"

Seth blinked. "I'm sorry...but you never asked..."

The old man interrupted him. "Oh my, I guess I forgot to ask you to introduce yourself properly to the class! Come on, get up here, and tell us more about yourself!" He waved for Seth to stand up.

Seth glanced at Jou, and then hesitantly stood and walked up to the front of the classroom. With all gazes on him, he felt a bit nervous. But, after getting a thumbs up and a grin from Jou, he relaxed.

"Okay then. My name is Seth. Seth Karno, is my full name. I'm from Egypt; from Memphis to be more exact. And I've lived there for my entire life. Up until now, that is. I moved here to get some education...and because my parents wanted me out of the house." A laugh erupted from the class, and Seth smiled too. "Well, what else...my parents are...um...studiers of ancient Egypt, and has learned me a few things about it too..."

A pleased sound came from Mr. Neosho, and he smiled wider. "How perfect. Then you can later tell us a few more things about Egypt!"

Seth nodded, and smiled too. A smile that caused all the girls in the class to give dreamy sighs. "What more do you want to know then?" He smiled again. "Any questions about me?"

Everywhere, hands shot up. All the girls looked hopeful, and almost jumped in their seats to get his attention. Seth looked around himself, and laughed slightly. "Just so you all know, I will not answer the question whether I'm single or not."

Almost all hands fell again. But one remained. Seth nodded to the girl, who was the leader of Seto Kaiba's fanclub. She blushed slightly before speaking. "U-Um...a-are you related to Mr. Kaiba in any way? S-Seeing that you're so alike..."

Seto glared at the girl, who blushed even deeper, and ducked to escape his glare. Why did everyone insist on that Seth looked like him? There were no similarities, whatsoever. They just had the same hair colour, same eye colour, and a few facial features that matched slightly.

See; No similarities!

Seth spoke again, with another small smile. "Well...Kaiba and I are related. He's my cousin. A very, very far off cousin. We're almost not related at all, actually." He frowned slightly. "And I do not look like him."

Mr. Neosho, who smelled trouble if Seth was allowed to stand in front of the class much longer, walked up to Seth and patted him on the shoulder (which was a remarkable feat, seeing that Seth was more than a foot taller than him). "Well, Seth. I guess that's all we need to know for now. I'm sure that you'll like it here. Sit down."

Seth was more than happy to follow his command, and quickly walked back to Jou. Sitting down, he leaned closer to Jou, to whisper in his ear. "So? Was it good?"

Jou blushed again, seeing that Seth's hot breath brushed against his ear in a way that his question could be answered in two ways. "Y-Yeah. Perfect..." His voice had somehow turned very weak, almost like a squeak. So he cleared his throat lowly. "It was good, Seth."

Seto, who hadn't heard what Seth had said, glared at the blushing Jou, and the smiling Seth. Not that he cared about what that idiotic tanned bastard had asked Jou. It just annoyed him that the mutt blushed like that, making him look positively adorable, and thus making Seto unable to focus properly. Stupid Seth.

It had probably been something really silly that Seth had said. Something like, 'your eyes are beautiful.' It was a good thing that Seto hadn't heard what Seth said. Those sweet things would have probably made him throw up anyway.

Seto glanced at Jou. The blond was now watching the teacher again, a blush still playing on his cheeks. Amber eyes, that seemed to carry all emotions available, followed Mr. Neosho's every movement while he explained stuff that they would do on the trip.

What would it be like to have those eyes follow his every move? To have them shine with something else but only hate and anger?

Angrily, Seto shrugged those thoughts out of his head. Why was he thinking such things? It was just morons and imbeciles that had those thoughts. He started to listen to the teacher, pretending to be, at least a little, interested in what he was telling them about ancient Egypt.

It was then that Seto realised something.

He had called Katsuya Jounouchi adorable.

**End Chapter! **

(1) Kaiba actually means seahorse in Japanese...XD Seto, the seahorse...beware, thy mortals, beware!

Okay then...that was a fun chapter to write, and I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much as I did writing it! There were alot more humour in this one, but I hope you all don't mind! At least, that's better than all the angst I've been writing recently...--

The next update? Well...I am truly sorry, but this story will be put on hold for a while...my will for writing on it has sunk very, very low. I am on the bottom right now...and I'm not feeling very good right now...I guess I've reached a point in my life where I have to try to get a little more grip on my life. And that means I need time to think, and just get to know myself and my writing again. When I've done all that, I will try again to write.

Truly sorry, my lovelies. I will always love you all, readers and reviewers. It's just that my writing isn't on top right now. I /will/ try to write more, though. When the feeling returns to me. Hey, who knows; maybe I will do an amazing recovery in writing like on Bedtime Tears!

Now, it is time for you to review! –points to the purple box- Press here and write down your thoughts to me! Love, peace and chocolate to all.

-The Blonde Midget! 


	5. Jealousy

...um...hi everyone! I am here again! –cheers- 

-is met by glares- ...what? Oh, I know last chapter was late, sorry! But this one was fast! It was!

You see, this chapter is a sort of guilt chapter...I felt so bad for not updating in so long...so I decided to hand you a chapter now! A chapter that is very fillery, but still quite good! I had troubles writing it, and edited it several times before anything happened. I hope you'll like it!

Oh, and before I forget...thanks everyone who reviewed! I love you all so much!

A special thanks to mandapandabug...don't know what I'd do without you. Probably hide under a stone and die. ...maybe not, but you get my point. Anyway, thank you! You are like a little muse to me! –gives extra chocolate-

Now, onwards with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Pegasus! (Pegasus: "Oh, lawyer-boys! Why are you running, I always discus legal affairs naked!" Lawyers: "..." -long gone-) ...--; ...that's just...no comment.

Pairings: Seto/Jou Seth/Jou. Jou?. Also, Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou and many others! Maybe Anzu/Death:D

Warnings: Same as last chapters! Read them again if you have a really bad memory!

That's all I need to say, people! Read, enjoy and review!

Chapter 5 

**School**

**12:00/Lunch Period**

**Normal POV**

The next three periods after the first went smoothly. Nothing much happened, more than that Seth got googly eyes from other girls at the school, and that Seto Kaiba looked more and more pissed over the whole ordeal.

Oh, and Toya Soshi got punched by Bakura again.

Three times.

In various places.

The gang, consisting of Yugi, Yami, Ryou, Bakura, Jou and Seth (Honda was off somewhere, trying to hook up with some girl.) sat in the cafeteria, peacefully eating their brought lunches. Seth was complementing Jou's abilities in the kitchen, while the blond simply smiled at the compliments and thanked him several times. Yami was feeding Yugi grapes, and they were just as adorable as they should. And Ryou was scolding Bakura for what he had done to Toya.

"Bakura, you can't hit every person that decides to show me a bit of interest!" The pale boy said angrily, and ate some of his salad he brought.

The former Tomb Robber scowled. "Can't I? It has worked this far, hasn't it?"

"I promise, Bakura, one of these days, you'll get into trouble." Ryou sighed slightly, and put down his fork. "And Toya is a nice guy. I don't like the way you're treating him."

"A nice guy? Excuse me, are we talking about the same guy here? He's only after your ass, and..." A dark shadow suddenly crept up over Bakura's face, and he pointed angrily at Ryou. "Hey! Since when did you call that insignificant twerp 'Toya'!"

Ryou rolled his eyes, and took another piece of salad. "Okay, I admit that Toya might have hit on me a little..."

"A little! Don't make me laugh..."

Ryou ignored the interruption. "...but, all in all, he's kind."

Bakura scowled, and crossed his arms over his chest. "If he's so 'kind' and 'a nice guy', why don't you date him?" The sarcasm in Bakura's voice was enough to drown an elephant.

A light laugh erupted from Ryou's throat, and he wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck. "Oh, you're just too cute when you're jealous, 'Kura!" He giggled, and snuggled into Bakura's chest.

A low snicker was heard from both Seth and Yami. "'Kura..." Both mumbled in unison, and then laughed a little louder.

Scowling, Bakura glared at the two snickering boys. "At least that's better than Yam-Yam." He hissed, and then started to give Ryou his daily lunch-hickey.

Before Yami could tell Bakura how preposterous the claim that Yugi called him Yam-Yam was (duh, it was Yami-Kami), Seth decided to speak up.

"Katsuya, may I ask you something?"

"Sure thing." Jou said, and smiled. "Go ahead."

Seth scratched the back of his neck, and leaned his head to the side. "Why exactly are your father in jail?"

Silence fell over the table (except the sucking noises that Bakura made from Ryou's neck.) Jou's eyes had widened slightly, and looked blank. It was like someone had pulled down blinders over his eyes, and covered all emotion in them.

After a few more silent seconds, Jou pressed his lips tightly together, and rose. "I...I, um...have some work to do...I'll be in the library." With those words, Jou quickly walked out of the cafeteria, not once looking back.

Seth blinked, and felt a stab in his heart at the look that had been on Jou's face. What had just happened? How had he managed to hurt Jou with that simple question? He turned to the others by the table, and swallowed. They all looked quite shocked, and glanced at each other.

"What...was that all about?" Seth asked worriedly.

The others (minus Bakura; he was still busy with Ryou's neck) looked at each other like asking who that should tell him. Finally, it was Yami who spoke up.

"Seth, you of course don't know this, but...well, this whole ordeal with Jou's father is quite a sensitive subject for Jou." Yami drew a deep breath. "The police caught Jou's dad selling drugs and alcohol to minors in their neighbourhood. It was all over the news the next day. And...people can be quite mean when they put that side out. Jou had quite a hard time those first days before it cooled down a little."

Seth stared at Yami. Then he looked very ashamed, and looked down on his hands. "Oh...I...I had no idea...I'll have to apologize." Seth began to rise from his chair.

Yugi's eyes widened, and he grabbed Seth's shoulder quickly. "No! You can't!"

Seth blinked, and looked down at Yugi. "Huh? What are you talking about? I have to tell Katsuya how sorry I am..."

Somehow, Yugi managed to push Seth back down in his chair (quite an achievement, seeing that Seth was almost twice his size).

"Jou is my best friend, and I know him very well. He wants to be alone right now, Seth. As Yami said, this whole thing is very sensitive for Jou. Next time you see him...try just to pretend like nothing happened. Jou will do that, you see. When he doesn't want to explain, he pretends it never happened. And we play along." A pleading look entered Yugi's eyes. "Please, Seth? For Jou's sake?"

The pleading look in Yugi's eyes made Seth nod, even though reluctantly. For, who can withstand the puppyeyes á la Yugi? None, I tell you, none!

"Oh, alright. For Katsuya, then." Still, Seth's gaze wandered off in the direction where Jou had stormed off. _"I hope you are alright, Katsuya." _

-------

Jou quickly made his way through the almost empty corridors. Hands shoved down in his pockets, and head bent down, one would think that he was on his way to detention. But, as he had said earlier, it was the library that was his destination. Or the North pole, he couldn't have cared less.

Unshed tears made his eyes blurry, and made it almost impossible to see where he was heading. Angrily, Jou blinked them away, and walked faster. Why had Seth asked him that question? Sure, he couldn't know that it was something he didn't want to talk about, but still! It wasn't like he needed to be reminded of the incident that had caused his life to make a nosedive.

He still remembered when the polices had come to his house, telling him that his father was in custody for selling drugs. They had asked him to come along to the station, to answer questions. Questions that were very, very degrading, in his opinion.

'Did you know your father sold drugs?' Duh. Of course not; then he would have told them years ago and got rid of his father for once.

'Are you using drugs?' Did he look like a drug addict to them? Feh, thank you very much...

'Have you ever smuggled drugs for your father?' Yeah, like he would have told them if he had...and no, he hadn't.

And then questions about if his father had told him to sell drugs himself. Wasn't it obvious that he hadn't; then he would have known about the whole drug-thing, and thus would have told them about it! Idiotic polices were the worst thing Jou knew, apart from nosey ones.

Jou then remembered when the polices had searched through his home for drugs, and found none. Like his father would have kept it at home; what if the warden found it? The whole stock would have been sniffed up in the matter of seconds.

The worst part, though, was when he came back to school, and found that every student and his grandmother knew about his father being in jail. He never though that he'd live it down; people staring, pointing, whispering and outright laughing at him. If he hadn't had Yugi and the gang those days...

Jou pushed away the thought, and sighed. At least his father was in jail now. That was the only plus in all of this. No more 'you're-late-home'-beatings, or 'you-haven't-made-dinner'- punches. He smiled ironically to himself. Like Yugi said; there's always light in the end of the dark tunnels...

"_Damn you, dad..."_ Jou said angrily inside his head as he entered the library. This would be a long day, he just knew it.

Math 

**13:13**

**Normal POV**

Jou tried to concentrate on what the teacher said.

He really did.

Jou even tried to pretend that he was very interested and intrigued by what she was saying.

But it wasn't working.

Why?

Well, that Seth and Seto were glaring and scowling at each other over his head didn't make it any easier. Jou didn't dare to even look away from the boys, in fear of that they'd attack each other when he looked away. And, thus, somehow resulting in hurting him too. Only one thing progressed through Jou's brain.

"_Just duck, Jou. Remember to duck." _

Neither of the boy looked away from each other for one second. Hell, Jou wasn't even sure that either of them blinked. He glanced from one scowling brunet to the other. Scarier guys, you had to look hard for. Not even those strong and scarred guys in jail was less haunting than those two...

...wow, the two just blinked. At the exact same time. And glared even harder at each other to make up for the lost time.

It suddenly struck Jo how alike the two of them really were. Even the same look as they glared. Huh. Where was the world headed?

...probably to some horrible natural disaster that would wipe out all life on the entire planet. Leaving Mother Earth to be very pleased with herself, and recreating the dinosaurs who never had done anything stupid to the earth.

...am I off subject? I am? Oh...Well then, back to the story.

"...and now I guess you all understand these equations. Good. Then you can all start working on page seventy-five." The teacher, Mrs. Yin, said with a smile.

Jou blinked, and looked up at the blackboard. The numbers that were written across it in several different ways, mixed with x's and y's, said nothing to him. They seemed to dance some sort of dance, like can-can or something of the like.

Maybe if he leaned his head to the side a little...and squinted...

...now, it looked like a hippo with anorexia.

...or Anzu.

With a small groan, Jou opened his math book. Maybe the equations were easier to understand in the book...

Upon reading one of the problems, Jou quickly abandoned that idea. Why, why were the Gods up there so damn evil towards him! What had he ever done to them?

Sighing, the blond started to think. He had no time to ponder on why the God(s) up there hated him. He had to figure out a way to get the whole math-thingy on the blackboard explained to him, and fast. Preferably before the class ended. But how?

To do that, he needed to find some unnaturally smart guy, with an IQ on about 5000 and that could actually talk like a civilised person and could explain math very, very good. But where, pray tell, would he ever find such a person!

Jou glanced at Seto. He, even though he had been glaring at Seth during the whole time the teacher explained the work, didn't seem to have any troubles at all. Well, like he even had any troubles in any subject. Could Jou ask him for help? He probably had an IQ over 5000, and could talk...and explain things...but civilised?

After checking the time, Jou decided that Kaiba would have to do.

Hesitating for a second, Jou spoke. "K...Kaiba?" He said gently, and hoped that he wouldn't get shot down at once.

"What?" Seto mumbled, not once looking up from his book. He was bored out of his mind, and was almost finished with the problems (if one could even call them that.) These sort of mathematical things, he had learned when he was ten. Hmph. At least Gozoburo had done something right.

Seth also looked up from the math book he had received (and didn't understand a thing of), seeing that Jou had spoken. And turned away from him. What was it that Jou had to ask Seto, when he could ask him! Jealous, Seth glared at Seto again. Hn, it wasn't like that guy had any chance against him anyway. Who did, anyway? He was a sexy, tanned Egyptian. He was irresistible, God damnit!

And, no, Seth does not have too high thoughts of himself. And nor does he like to brag. Of course not. What gave you that silly idea?

Now, back to the classroom.

Nervously, Jou turned his gaze to the math book, and then back to the CEO.

"Um...c-could you help me...wit' this..." Jou pointed to the math book, and smiled slightly. Of course, making him look positively adorable. "I'm sorta...stuck."

Seto haltered his hand and pen's movements on the paper, and looked up on Jou. A slight look of surprise was on his face. (Or, well...his eyes was one millimetre wider and his mouth not closed tightly.)

"Me? Help you?" In the cold voice, one could make out surprise and a tone of 'are-you-fucking-serious?'-ness.

Nodding, Jou looked down for a second. Then he glanced up, the cutest blush ever playing on his face. "Yeah...please?" You say 'puppy eyes'? I say 'puppy eyes of fawking doom'.

"_Say no, say no, say no..." _Seth repeated inside his head, and glared even harder at Seto. Maybe, if he glared hard enough, he'd be able to control Seto's mind!

Alas, that did not work.

Looking over Jou's head onto the homicide looking Seth, Seto smirked. Time to make one idiotic geezer angry...

"Sure, I'll help you." Seto leaned over to Jou's desk and looked down in the book. Blue eyes scanned the pages, and then glanced at Jou. "Okay, how much did you get earlier?"

"Uh..." Jou looked down.

"...I see. Well, you see Jounouchi, these little things here..." Seto pointed. "... they are called numbers..."

Jou glared at slapped away Seto's finger from the out pointed number. (A '5' if you must know.)

"I know _tha'_, ya prick! I just didn' get the whole x and y thing..."

Seto smirked at the boy's anger, and then started explaining. "Well, if you take this, for example. x-15/100,5..."

After a few minutes, Jou finally started to understand the way of calculating the equations. "So, if there's a minus on one side...you use plus on the other side of the equal-sign? And add the answer with the thing getting subtracted on the other side?" Jou said, and looked up from the book.

As the CEO nodded, a smile grew on Jou's lips. "Cool! I finally start to understand this!" He punched the air victoriously, and grinned. Then he turned to Seto again, with a sheepish smile. "Thanks, Kaiba. It was really nice of ya to help me...is there anything I can do for ya?"

"_Well...a kiss would be nice for a starter..."_ Seto blinked at his own thoughts. That...wasn't what he wanted! And he would never say anything of the like to Jou. No way. Never.

Instead of giving Jou a very flirty line (that would have pleased the authoress greatly), Seto shrugged and started to complete the rest of his problems. "No, there isn't. A 'thank you' is enough."

Jou smiled, and patted Seto on the shoulder. That made said brunet freeze in his movements, and stare at his book without any signs of blinking. If one had looked closer (and survived it), they would have spotted a small blush on his cheek for a second.

"Well, then I say thank you again! Thank you." Turning back to his math book, Jou turned serious again. It was time to finish of those problems, once and for all! There was no way they could save themselves now!

A shrill ring of a bell interrupted Jou's plots on how he would ridicule the mathematical problems. The teacher smiled and started to clean the blackboard. "Okay then, class! You can go now; off to your next lessons!"

The class didn't need more encouragement. Only one second later, the whole class were out the door and on their way to their lockers.

Surprisingly, Jou still sat in his chair when everyone was out. He stared at the math book for a few more seconds. Then he groaned and slapped his forehead.

"Aw, you really do hate me up there, don't ya!"

--------

Study hall 

Silence rang through the halls of Study Hall. Only slight whispers and coughs was heard in the room, and occasionally a sneeze, followed by a sharp "SHH" from the teacher.

When Jou entered the room, however, the silence was broken instantly.

"Hi, Katsuya!" Seth said happily when the blond walked into the study hall.

"SHH!" The teacher of the day, which happened to be an old librarian lady, hissed at him. She glared at them, one of those glares that only teachers (or, librarians) could master.

Jou, however, simply smiled to her and blinked flirtingly, before he walked over to Seth. The brunet Egyptian sat alone in the room, and Jou frowned. Wasn't his other friends there with him? They said they would keep Seth company when he couldn't himself...

"Hi, Seth." Jou said lowly, and sat down next to him. "Where is..." Before he could end that sentence, Seth had wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged him.

"I missed you." Seth mumbled, and squeezed tighter around his waist. The reason he did that, however, wasn't only that he had missed the blond. Oh no. It was also to show Kaiba, who sat only two tables away, that he was far, far further in the process of seducing Katsuya.

"_Hope you're watching, my reincarnation..." _

Jou blushed heatedly when Seth hugged him. Suddenly, he totally forgot what he was about to ask and instead started to stutter out something else. "Oh! Um...o-okay...I-I missed ya too, Seth...but I saw you only thirty minutes ago..."

A gasp erupted from Seth's throat, and he pulled back to look into Jou's eyes. "Was it really that long?" He whispered.

Jou looked at Seth a very long time. "...who gave you sugar?"

A beaming smile formed on Seth's face. One that made the entire fangirl squad on the table next to them sigh and faint. "You mean that white, sweet powder? Bakura did!"

"Should'a figured..." After silently cursing Bakura for making Seth sugar high, Jou remembered what he was about to ask before Seth...distracted him. "Seth, where is everybody? I thought Yugi and the others also had study hall now..."

Seth blinked, and then coughed slightly. "Well...first, they were all here. But then, Bakura said that Ryou looked pale and needed to be taken cared of...and he carried Ryou away to God-knows-where. And Yami and Yugi disappeared behind that shelf fifteen minutes ago...and I haven't dared to go and check what they're up to..." A slight blush spread over Seth's cheeks.

Amused, Jou started to giggle, and glanced at the shelf where Yami and Yugi had disappeared. "Uhu...I understand...I think tha' Yugi and Ryou needs lessons in resistance."

Jou was completely right in that statement. Something that Ryou and Yugi had a hard time with, was to resist their yamis. But, hey, who wouldn't have a hard time to resist two so completely hot and sexy blokes? No one, that's the answer!

...or, perhaps Seto would be able to. For obvious reasons. (-hinthint- nudgenudge-)

Seth smirked, and leaned closer to the other. "And I guess that you know all about...resistance?" He mumbled, and winked teasingly. "How many people have you been resisting in your young years?"

A bright blush tried to fight its' way up on Jou's cheeks, but he fought it down. "U-Um...I, err...haven't..."

"I think it's more the guys who has tried and failed to resist Jou, than the other way around." A low and teasing voice said behind them as Yugi and Yami came back to the table. Both looked a little out of breath, but satisfied.

Jou, who barely had been able to fight off the blush that Seth almost had caused, now blushed even more. "Sh-Shut up! I's not like tha'!"

Yami, who was the one who has spoken, chuckled as he sat down next to Yugi on a chair. "Oh, really? What about those guys in the cinema last week? I think that three out of ten of them gave you their phone number."

Before Jou could protest to Yami's statement, Yugi spoke up.

"Now, Yami, that's not true." Yugi scolded.

Jou felt relieved. At least he had the kind and innocent Yugi on his side to protect him from the other's crazy conspiracy theories!

"It was five of them."

...it was official; he had no friends.

"I-It wasn' like I flirted wit' them!" Jou squeaked pathetically. "I jus' asked what the time was...a-and then they started to thrust papers into my hands!" If you ever have been to hell's chambers for some reason, you'd know how hot Jou's cheeks were when I say that they were indeed hotter than hell's chambers.

Seth felt burning jealousy in his stomach when he heard of the boys who had flirted with Katsuya. "Are these boys...students on this school?" He asked, through gritted teeth. If they were...well, lets just say that Seth would find them. And then, not too pleasant things would happen to them.

Things as horrible as getting locked into a small room with Anzu on a friendship rant. Naked. Doing pole dancing. Now **_that's_** scary.

Now, Yugi tried to suppress a giggle. Yami simply laughed straight out. "O-Oh, no, cousin! These guys are certainly not students here..."

"Yami, please...shuddup..." Jou mumbled, and tried to shrink down under the table. Alas, he couldn't. For once, he was too tall to do so. Or, for some mystical reason, the table had shrunk. (Possibly by Bakura, and his dark magic.)

The failed attempt to escape made Yami laugh again, until he finally managed to fight down his laughter long enough to speak. "You see, Seth...there guys just happened to be college students. And, thus, over three years older than our little Jou here." He leaned over and patted Jou on the head. "The poor guy. You should have seen his face when the guys cornered him and demanded to have his phone number."

Swatting at the hand, Jou growled lowly. "Yeah, and I can't remember any of you guys standing up and saving me exactly..."

"Why, I was busy!" Yami said, and smirked. "Busy laughing, that is."

"And here I was, thinkin' tha' I had friends..."

Yami opened his mouth to tease Jou some more, but instead let out a pained grunt when Yugi, tired of his yami's teasing on his friend, smacked him on the top of his head. Eyes filled with disbelief, Yami stared at his hikari.

"Ouch! Aibou, you're supposed to be my one true love! You can't hit me!"

Yugi shrugged. "When you're an idiot, I can."

Another voice spoke up behind them. "Then the poor pharaoh will soon be one walking bruise...hey, that's a nice thought..." The words was soon followed by a slapping sound. "Ouch! Ryou, what the hell!"

Ryou, who indeed was the one who had given his darker half a smack on the head, sat down next to Yugi with a nonchalant expression on his face. "Bakura, I told you to be nice. And, seeing that you weren't, I decided to hit you. Simple as that."

With a huff, Bakura sat down next to his lighter half, and glared. "Oh, so you can hit people, but I can't? I can really see the logic in that."

"Ryou doesn' hit people so hard tha' they get broken noses and nosebleeds, Bakura." Jou said, with a grin, hinting on the incident with Toya earlier. "Tha's the big difference."

Bakura sniffed, and put his nose up in the air with a snobby expression on his face. "Hmph! They don't get nosebleeds because I hit them. They get nosebleeds because I am so damn sexy!"

"..." Yugi glanced at Yami.

"..." Yami's eyebrow twitched.

"..." Jou merely blinked.

"..." Ryou's eyes shifted from Bakura to the others.

"..." Seth's mouth twitched.

And Bakura didn't move a muscle; he only stayed in his snobby-look expression.

And so, the rest of the study hall continued until the bell rang for their last period.

**End Chapter! **

Okay, I'm done! You liked? Well, I did update rather fast this time...don't expect the next chapter to be equally fast. This was a little filler for you to read as I plan on how to continue the story...Patience is virtue, my friends!

Okay then...I hope I'll see you in the next chapter...when it comes...if it comes...-- No, kidding, it will appear! Eventually...

Anyhow, hugs to you all that reviewed, and chocolate for the ones who reviews now! I love you! –throws out cookies and chocolate- Until next time!

-The Blonde Midget. 


	6. Riding A Bus

...-silence-

HI EVERYONE:D :D :D

Eh, yes I know that this chapter took time...and I'm sorry, damnit! But I couldn't finish this chapter, because I just was so...well, out of ideas. How to move it on. And I didn't feel like writing.

But, mandapandabug gave me some very good ideas, and I could continue. And the support of all my awesome reviewers put me back on track!

...and, yes, the many threats I got helped alot too. Thanks.

Well, I do not wish to keep you all waiting...after all, you came here for the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! But, just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Weevil. (Weevil: And the Blonde Midget should have Yu-Gi-Oh because...NO! LEAVE THAT BUG ALONE! –glomps-

Lawyers: ...-glares and stomps on bug. And on Weevil-) --;

Pairings: Seto/Jou, Seth/Jou. Jou/?. Minor: Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou. Maybe Honda/Ryuji (if anyone wants that, tell me)

Warnings: Boy/Boy love, Anzu bashing and lots of fluff and overused ideas.

Well, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter** **6**

**School**

**08:15**

**Normal POV**

"Good morning, students!" Mr. Neosho called out when he entered the classroom.

"Good morning, Mr. Nesoho!" The class chorused politely.

Well, except Seto, who only snorted and rolled his eyes before resuming his cold-ass-bastard look.

Neosho gave a large smile. "So, kids, I guess you all know what we're supposed to do today?" He asked, and chuckled when the class cheered. "We'll leave for the water-palace in about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, I'll go and copy a few papers, and you can all stay and chat here until I come back!" With that, the old man left the room.

The second the door closed, the scraping of chairs was heard, as people walked over to each other's desks and started conversations. Or, they simply stayed put to talk to their neighbours.

Like polite little Ryou did.

Toya smiled sweetly in Ryou's direction, and put his hand on the pale one's effeminate one. "So...Ryou...you're looking forward to the trip?"

Blushing slightly, Ryou pulled away his hand, and nodded. "Y-Yes, I do...I'm not very good

at swimming, though..."

"Oh?" Toya's smile widened. "Then, perhaps I can help you? I can teach you a little...and save you if something happens." He winked.

Ryou, being the innocent boy he was, completely missed said wink. Oh, the wonders of ignorance. "Oh! That would..."

Before Ryou could answer, a pair of arms swept him off the chair, and into the air. With a surprised 'eep', Ryou stared at the man, now holding him in bridal-style.

Bakura, who indeed was the mystery man sweeping Ryou away, glared at Toya. "Forget it, pretty-boy! If someone will save or teach Ryou anything new, it will be me!" Then, he carried Ryou away from Toya.

"...Bakura, I didn't know you could swim..." Ryou said uncertainly when they were out of earshot from Toya.

"...well, technically, I can't."

"But...then, maybe Toya should tea-" Ryou didn't even get to finish that sentence, because Bakura kissed him passionately, and then carried away the disoriented boy to his own seat to save him from the evil Toya's clutches.

How very noble of him.

Meanwhile, Jou smiled to Seth, making his honey eyes seem even warmer. "This is gonna be so much fun! You brought yer swimming wear, didn' ya?"

Seth blinked. "...swimming wear? Why would I need that? We're going to a bathing house, right?"

"...yeah..." Jou said, waiting for Seth's point.

With a proud smile, Seth spoke again. "Thus, seeing that we're going to bath ourselves, we don't need that!"

Seth waited for Jou to praise him for his smartness.

Alas, he did not.

All he did was stare at him with wide eyes, and a twitching eyebrow.

The next second, a low snort was heard from Seto next to Jou. His blue eyes was aimed straight at Seth, and a small smirk played on his lips. "You thought we were going to bathe? You are even more stupid than I thought."

Seth bared his teeth and growled. "Maybe you should chose your words a bit more careful, Kaiba. Seeing that you are my reincarnation, we share the same fate and the same intelligence."

The blue eyes of Seto Kaiba narrowed in a glare more deadly than a cobra, and he rose. "I beg you pardon?" The CEO's voice was low and calm, more threatening than a roar of rage from a lion.

Seth rose too, so he wouldn't be in an inferior position. "Oh, I think you heard me!" He snarled. "Or maybe you have a bad sense of hearing along with a shitty sense of emotional understanding?"

Seto's eyes narrowed further. "I thought that you said we shared the same fate and intelligence? Wouldn't that work the other way around?"

With a snort, Seth glared. "Yes, I said so. But your sense of hearing and emotions are not the same as your intelligence. For example, you can never love someone as much as I love Katsuya!"

That sentence made the whole class fall dead silent, and everyone stared at the two look-alikes. It was obvious that that sentence had hit a very sour spot on Kaiba, seeing that he only stared at Seth, not showing any signs of wanting to say anything yet. Everyone wondered what the response would be.

A response came. But not from Seto.

"Seth!" Jou said angrily. "Tha's unfair! Ya don' know Kaiba well enough to claim somethin' like tha'! And Kaiba does love someone! He has a little brother, Mokuba. And they are closer than me an' _my_ sister! Kaiba has protected Mokuba several times, with his life at risk! So ya should watch yer words! There's many kinds of love, ya know!"

Once again, the class fell silent. Never before had Jou protected Seto Kaiba like that, or argued for him. And he had always claimed the Seto was as cold and cruel as Seth now had.

The silence continued for a very long time.

Then, Seth seemed to recover from the shock of Jou's outburst. A pained look entered his eyes, and he looked down. "I...I see. I'm sorry, Katsuya. I shouldn't have said that."

Jou shook his head. "It's not me ya should apologize to, Seth..." He nodded in a subtle way to Seto, whom were now staring at Jou like he was insane.

With a hesitating glance at Jou, Seth looked at Seto. Between his teeth, Seth gritted out. "I'm...I am...sorry, Kaiba." The brunet swallowed his pride, and held out his hand. "Okay? Shake on it?"

Seto removed his gaze from Jou and looked at Seth. His eyes were cold when he spoke. "I don't accept apologizes. They are a waste of my time." With that, Seto sat down again, looking straight ahead of himself, a blank look on his face.

Before anyone could say anything more, Mr. Neosho came in and told them that the bus had arrived.

On the bus 

**08:40**

The ride to the water-palace would be a long one, over an hour on the bus. So everyone made themselves comfortable in their seats, next to their assigned seat-mate.

Yami sat next to Yugi. Or, well, Yugi more like sat in Yami's lap, while the ancient pharaoh was nuzzling his neck and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. They made the image of the perfect, loving couple. As usual.

Ryou, to everyone's surprise, had not ended up next to Bakura. No teacher had ever dared to separate them before. But, Mr. Neosho was one brave bastard; he had now done just that twice.

No, the pale, British boy sat next to Toya. The black-haired teen was of course not passing up the chance of courting Ryou. At once when Ryou had sat down next to him, Toya had offered him something to drink and given him a smile. They were currently listening to Toya's mp3, obviously enjoying themselves. Toya had made Ryou laugh three times in only fifteen minutes.

Bakura sat three seats away, looking absolutely furious, glaring at Toya without blinking a single time. The poor, shy girl who next to him looked scared out of her life, trying not to make any sound that could make Bakura notice her presence.

Honda sat, of course, next to Otogi. At first, the two had sat with their backs against each other, ignoring each other. But, soon, they started talking, and now were having a civilised conversation around music and bands that they liked. To everyone else, it was dead obvious that friendship was growing between them.

Seth...well, he sat beside a girl from the Seto Kaiba fanclub. And he was scared out of his life. The girl was staring at him with awe in her eyes, and drool was pooling at her feet. Seth made sure to keep an eye on her, to make sure she didn't pounce on him.

With a inward scowl, he glared four seats ahead of him, on the other side of the aisle. There, he could see a glimps of Katsuya's blonde hair. But, his view was blocked by a Ra be damned brunet. Also called Seto Kaiba.

A low growl was on its merry way up his throat. The pair sat so far away that he couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he could see them clearly. And that annoyed him. It gave him a great disadvantage against Kaiba in the war of Jou's heart. Damned teacher who put Katsuya so far out of his reach.

Jou and Seto...well, they weren't talking, really. Seto was glaring at the seat in front of him. If his gaze had been something solid and sharp, it would have been a large hole in the seat. A large, burning hole.

Jou was glancing from the window and to Seto every half minute. Out the window, and back to Seto. He fidgeted. The ride was boring. And so was the brunet. Kaiba just wouldn't talk to him. Well...not that Jou had tried to start a conversation either, but still. If he tried, he'd probably be shot down with a venomous answer anyway...

"Thanks."

Jou blinked and looked to the direction of the voice. A confused look was to be seen on his face. Seto wasn't even looking at him; he was to busy glaring at the seat in front of him. But it was obvious that it was he who had spoken.

"...w-what?" Jou said, blinking confusedly.

With an annoyed sigh, Seth threw Jou a glance. The blue eyes were cold and the gaze stern, but somehow, Jou could spot some sort of flicker in the mask of stone. "I said; thanks. For earlier. And I'm not saying it again." Kaiba looked back to the seat in front of him to glare.

For several seconds, Jou could only stare, uncertain of what that he had just heard. Then, his amber eyes sparkled, and he smiled. "You're very welcome, Kaiba." Jou paused, considering if he should resume his gazing out the window, or say something more.

Naturally, he should go back to staring out the window, be quiet and ignore the brunet again. But...

"...so...swimming, huh? Fun, isn't it?" Jou said uncertainly, and glanced at Seto.

Seto blinked, and looked back to Jou, the look on his face clearly saying 'you're talking to _me?' _ "...I suppose..." Seto replied, raising one eyebrow.

Fidgeting in his seat, Jou nodded. "So, ya're any good at swimming?"

"Good enough." Seto shrugged dismissively.

Truth to be told, Seto was quite outstanding in swimming. He and Mokuba had gone swimming with the children home several times, and Seto had shown some talent for it. Then Gozoburo adopted them, and he didn't swim for several years. After Gozoburo's death, however, he had started to practise again, and was very good now. He liked swimming.

His memory-dive was interrupted when Jou spoke again. "Tha's good...I've never really got around to swim, ya know...there's never been time..." A sad look was in Jou's eyes. "Actually...I don' really know if I know how to swim anymore..." Jou's voice dragged out, and he fell silent, looking down on the floor.

Seto was quiet for a few seconds, and looked at Jou. Then he glanced to the side. "Perhaps...I could help you. When we get to the pool. If you would want me to." An unpleasant feeling that he had just done something incredibly stupid entered Seto.

Jou's head snapped up, and he looked at Seto with a surprised look. "Really?" When Seto

nodded to confirm his words, Jou's face changed.

The corners of his mouth went upwards in a bright and true smile that seemed to light up the entire bus. His amber eyes sparkled joyfully and a light laugh escaped Jou. "Thank you, Kaiba! Tha's really nice of you!" Jou dropped his gaze to the floor once more, still smiling. "Ya know, Kaiba? Ya're not half bad."

A strange feeling erupted within Seto at hearing those words, and seeing that true smile on Jou's features. A warm and fuzzy-like feeling. A feeling that really wasn't...all that bad. Seto's heart seemed to beat faster at watching the smiling blond.

With a forceful mental effort, Seto managed to suppress all those feelings, and locked them in the back of his mind. Then he shrugged. "You are welcome, Jounouchi. Don't mention it." A smirk suddenly worked it's way up Seto's face. "But, you know, I thought dogs could swim naturally."

Jou's smile died at once, and he glared at the brunet. "Hey! I'm no dog, you bastard!" With a huff, Jou crossed his arms and turned to stare out the window again.

Without being able to stop himself, Seto leaned to Jou's ear and breathed gently into it before speaking softly. "You know...for a puppy, you really have a bad temper..."

A light blush appeared on Jou's cheeks, and he didn't dare to turn away from the window; he didn't want the CEO to see it. He could get the wrong impression. "S-Shut up...I'm no puppy."

"Huh." The soft sound made a warm puff of air brush against Jou's air, causing the small hairs in his neck to stand on edge. "Could have fooled me with those large puppy eyes of yours."

The blush on Jou's cheeks intensified. "S-Since when have ya been observing my eyes, Kaiba?" He managed to get out, clenching his hands tightly.

Seto was stunned for a moment with that question. What did Jou mean by that? He had never 'observed' Jou's eyes.

...not much anyway.

But, it was kind of hard to ignore those large, brown, warm, sparkling, beautiful orbs. They stood out in Jou's face, and drew all the attention to them. Even though they were sometimes hidden behind the long, blond strands of soft looking hair, they were still easy to notice.

Thinking for a moment about Jou's question, Seto smirked and chuckled softly. "Ever since I first saw them."

The answer got Jou to flinch and his already red cheeks got even redder. Quickly, Jou spun around in is seat to stare at the brunet. "What do ya mean by..." Jou's voice suddenly got stuck in his throat as he stared at the brunet.

Seto was only one inch from his face, and wasn't giving any signs of moving back. The blue eyes were cold and unemotional as usual, but Jou could almost make out some sort of flicker in them. He had never been this close to the brunet, and had never been able to examine the other's eyes like this.

They were...deep...and so very blue. But not only blue, there was a small hue of green in them too. But that green hue could only be seen when light reflected in them. Otherwise, the eyes were navy blue. Jou...Jou very much liked navy blue...he had never noticed before how beautiful the colour actually was, though.

Without thinking, Jou spoke softly. "Ya know, your eyes remind me of the sea..."

Seto blinked. "What?" Being surprised by the sudden remark, Seto couldn't keep the confused tone out of his voice.

"Wha'?" Jou blinked as well, and then realized just what he had said. A forceful blush once more took over his face. "Oh! Err...I, uh..." Jou turned his gaze to the floor. "...well, yer eyes do remind me of the sea...bein' blue an' all..."

Seto was silent for a while, considering this. "Ah. I see." He finally said, looking away. For a few moments, silence took over their space. That was, until, Seto decided to speak again. "But, the sea isn't blue, actually. It's merely reflecting the colour of the sky above it, thus making it blue." Seto paused.

...where the hell did that come from?

Jou blinked. "...huh. Wouldn't ya know?"

Seto shrugged and turned towards the seat in front of himself again. This time, however, he did not glare. He just watched it thoughtfully. "Yes."

"..."

"..."

Silence fell between the two boys, and started to feel uncomfortable. Like how you would feel when you put on a pair of wet shoes, and your socks get all wet and icky. Yup, that was indeed how the silence felt.

Then, Jou yawned and stretched. "God, I'm so tired...I'm gonna take a nap. Good night, Kaiba." With that, Jou leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes.

Seto glanced at the blond, and then muttered quietly. " 'Night."

In the silence that followed, Seto had no idea of what he should do to pass his time. Talking to the pup had entertained him for a few minutes, and now he had no reason to glare at the seat in front of him. He wasn't in a bad mood anymore anyway. So...what to do?

Five minutes later, something ended up on his shoulder. Seto, naturally, flinched and snapped his head to his left to see what that had intruded on his personal space.

Blonde hair met his gaze. Blonde very messy hair. After further inspection, Seto finally comprehended with what that was indeed leaning on him.

Jou, unconsciously, had leaned his head on his shoulder, and was now sleeping on him. Soft puffs of warm air tickled his shoulder. Seto felt warmth tingle on his cheeks, as a pale blush rose to his cheeks.

Jou...was sleeping on him?

On _him?! _

One part of Seto wanted to push the idiot of him and yell at him for even daring to do something like that. But, the other part wanted to let Jou sleep on his shoulder, and just watch him do so.

The other part won.

Sighing, Seto watched the blonde sleeping away on his shoulder. His face was calm and serene, and a small smile was caressing his lips. His mouth was slightly open, but not in a gross way, but in a very adorable way. The blonde hair was brushing against his cheeks, and almost completely covered the closed eyes with their long lashes.

Without knowing it, Seto licked his suddenly dry lips. Jou was actually...kind of...cute like that. He should sleep on his shoulder far more often.

"_Aagh! What the hell am I **thinking?!**" _Seto roared inside his head, and quickly looked away from the blond, cheeks burning. _"He's the mutt! The idiotic, stupid, annoying mutt! He's not cute, or anything of the like!" _ Angrily, Seto glared at the seat in front of him, as if it was to be blamed for his disturbing thoughts.

After about one minute of intense glaring, Seto glanced at the blond again. Jou was still sleeping soundly, still leaning against his shoulder and succeeding in making him warm.

Seto watched Jou for a few more minutes, and then hesitantly rose one hand.

Was that hair as soft as it looked?

Cautiously, Seto let his right hand travel towards those blonde and messy locks. He stopped one centimetre from his destination, wondering if it really was a good idea to do what he was about to do.

Instinct spoke louder than his brain in that moment. Seto let his hand rest upon the blonde hair. He held it still for a few seconds, then stroke down the side of Jou's head, following the long strands all the way to their tips.

No. Katsuya's hair wasn't as soft as it looked.

It was softer. Like silk, or something even softer.

Slowly, Seto rose his hand again, to once again touch the blonde's hair. This time, however, he intervened his fingers in the soft locks, and dragged the long digits through them. He repeated the action several times, each tome marvelling over how Jou's hair could be so utterly soft and smooth.

Unknowingly to Seto, his cool exterior was starting to melt, and his eyes started to soften. A smile slowly made its way to his lips, a smile so small that it would only be visible if one looked very, very closely, and knew where to see the signs of it.

Once again, Seto let his fingers drag through the silky locks, and then started to play with a strand of Jou's hair, wrapping it around his finger, letting it go and then wrap it again. Suddenly, he was no longer bored.

Four seats away, on the other side of the aisle, a certain brunet was staring at the scene in front of him. Seth blinked several times, and started to go through what he just had seen.

First, Seto had been glaring at the seat in front of him for several minutes. Then he spoke to Katsuya, and Katsuya answered. The two talked for a few moments, and the next thing he knew, Seto was leaning over Jou's shoulder, whispering something in the blonde's ear, making the other blush!

After that, Seto leaned back in his seat, and started to stare at the seat in front of him. Soon after that, Jou leaned his head on his shoulder, and seemed to snuggle there! And then...and then his reincarnation started to play with Jou's hair?! What was up with that?!

Jealously, Seth glared at Seto, and cursed the way his fingers played with that soft hair of Katsuya.

"_Damned bastard. He shouldn't be doing that! It's preposterous! It's veil! And..." _Seth paused in his inward rant. _"...and it reminds me too much of Jono." _

With a sad look, Seth looked away from Seto and looked into the seat in front of him. A memory started to play within his mind, one that often had warmed him in the depth of the Shadow Realm.

Flashback 

It was a warm and sunny day, in the middle of May, the fifth month of the year. Silence rested over Egypt, and people was resting in the shades of trees or buildings.

_In the palace garden, a young blonde sat under a tree, on a cushioned bench. The shoulder long hair, bleached by the sun, fell slightly over the warm, honey eyes that was looking on a pond. In the pond, several exotic birds played, unaware of any problems. Wearing only a green tunic, his tanned chest and long legs was put on show. _

"_Katsuya?" A deep voice called out, making the blonde flinch, and turn around. _

_Standing next to him, was the High Priest Seth. The long, dark blue and purple tunic pooled by his feet. The brunet watched him with thoughtful, blue eyes that seemed to examine him from tip to toe. _

_Blushing, Katsuya bent his head down. "Hi, Seth." He said gently. Last night's activities not forgotten; being a slave was one thing, but being Seth's personal slave was another. _

_Smiling, Seth sat down next to the blonde. After stretching out his long legs, he stretched out one arm towards the blonde. "Come here, Katsuya." The voice was gentle. It wasn't an order; it was a mere request. _

_Blushing even worse, the slave scooted closer to the other. Katsuya let Seth wrap his arms around him, and pull him to his chest. It was a bliss to listen to the other's heart beating, and lean against the other. He felt so...safe there. _

"_...don't you like it here, Katsu, my love?" Seth asked suddenly. His voice sounded sad, and far away. "You have been so quiet lately. So distant." _

_Katsuya felt a stab of guilt for having worried his master. Quickly, he shook his head, leaned up and kissed the brunet's cheek. "I love it here, Seth...I really do. But..." He bit his lip. "...I miss home." _

_Home. Katsuya's old home. The land of Nubian, and his old village that had been burnt to the ground by Egyptian soldiers, and taken him captive. Everyone else had managed to escape, and Katsuya had been shipped away to Egypt, and to Memphis and the palace. There, Seth had bought him...and the rest was history. _

_Seth was quiet for a moment. All he wanted was for his lover to be happy. The one wish his heart contained, and all that his soul sought for; Katsuya's happiness. _

_With a smile, Seth kissed the top of Katsuya's head. "My sun, my moon, stars in my sky. I promise you, I will take you back one day." _

_Katsuya's eyes lit up, and he pulled back to look into Seth's eyes. The beauty of the other stunned Seth and he could only stare. _

"_You...you'd do that for me?" _

_Seth smiled, and kissed Katsuya's lips. _

"_Anything for you." _

End Flashback 

Seth closed his eyes tightly. He had never got to fulfil that promise. Something that he regretted direly.

Just three days later, he was sent to the Shadow Realm. By a man he would forever hate; another priest, named Hatoc, who always had been jealous of his position as the High Priest. The man had decided to revenge on him...taking it out on Jono...

Flashback 

The hooded man laughed maniacally, holding out his hand and summoning a monster, a large shadowlike creature, that reached the very ceiling of the temple he currently was in.

_Katsuya was shaking, sitting in the opposite corner of the temple, staring with fear filled eyes on the creature roaring in front of him. All his strength was drained; the man had challenged him to a duel, and forced him to participate. His Red Eyes Black Dragon had already been pulverized, and he could not summon any more creatures. _

"_I'm sorry, Seth..." Katsuya whispered, a tear falling from his eyes. He closed his eyes to await the blow that was sure to come. _

"_KATSUYA!" Came a terrified roar, and someone ran into him, pushing him out of the way. _

_Katsuya opened his eyes to see who that had saved him. _

_Seth stood in front of him, holding out his arms, shielding him from the creatures blow. The blue eyes full of determination, he glared at the man who dared to threaten his lover. "Hatoc." He hissed. "Leave Katsuya alone. Or, Ra help me, I will kill you!" _

_Hatoc gave one more insane laugh, and rose his hand. "Katsuya lost to me! His soul is forever doomed to the shadows! He knew the consequences! He must BE GONE!" _

"_Over my dead soul." Seth said sternly, not moving from his place before Katsuya. _

"_Seth..." Katsuya whispered, shaking. "D-Don't. This is m-my fight. I'm the one who..." _

"_Silence, slave." Seth said coldly. _

_At once, Katsuya snapped his mouth shut, tears filling his eyes. _

Never, not in all time he had known Seth, had the other ever called him 'slave'. Not once. Seth had always said there was no need for the word; Katsuya was as free as any other man. It hurt, it hurt his heart so much.

_Seth rose his arm and started to summon his Blue Eyes White Dragon, but was interrupted by Hatoc. _

"_High Priest, the slave lost to ME! He must pay the price of loosing a Shadow Game! He must DIE! DIE, DIE, DIIIE!" With that last yell, Hatoc rose his hand, and the creature attacked, throwing a black lightning towards Katsuya, who had stepped away from Seth by a few yards. _

"_NO!" Seth screamed. Not having anything to protect Katsuya with, he did the only thing he could think of. _

_He called out a spell, making the attack turn to him instead. Seth closed his eyes. **"For you, Katsuya." **_

The lightning hit him square in the chest. A scream rose from Seth's chest, and he felt his strength drain quickly.

_The attack ended. Seth stood for a few seconds, swaying back and forth. Then, his knees gave away, and he fell to his knees, to fall to the side with a groan. _

_On the other side of the room, Hatoc also fell, straight forward, being completely drained of magic. _

_Katsuya screamed, ran up to his beloved master, and fell to his knees next to him. "Seth! No, no, no..." He whispered, and lifted the other's head into his lap. "Seth, speak to me! Please! Seth!" _

_Slowly, blue eyes opened. They were tired, but still contained a small spark of life. _

_Tears filled Katsuya's eyes, and he sobbed . "Oh, Ra...Seth, are you..." _

"_Katsu...ya..." Seth whispered, struggling to force out words. "Not...much time...must...I..." He drew a deep breath, the last one he would ever take. A smile fell on his lips. "...Katsuya, I love you." His eyes fell closed, and the last breath left his body, with the whisper of love. _

_And those were the last words Seth ever spoke. _

End Flashback 

A lone tear ran down Seth's cheek. That day...the last time he had ever seen his beloved Katsuya. It still lingered in his mind. That first time he had ever hurt Katsuya by calling him slave. It could have been the last thing he ever had said. Luckily, he had had just the strength to tell him that he loved him.

Seth turned back his gaze to Seto and Jou. Seto was actually smiling, and still playing with the blonde's hair. And Jou...as far as he could see, was smiling contently.

"_Maybe..."_ Seth thought slowly. _"Maybe...I shouldn't have this Katsuya. I...I love Jono. He is the only one for me. Then, perhaps...Seto is the one that should have Jou." _Nodding slightly, Seth smiled. _"But he'll have to prove himself worthy first. Not anyone can be blessed with an angel. When he proves himself worthy...I will let him have this Katsuya." _

Satisfied withhis decision, Seth leaned back in his seat, and resumed his trip down memory lane.

But, before he could even start to fall into another memory of his ancient lover, a loud bang was heard. Averyone in the bus (minus Seto and Katsuya; Seto was too busy playing with Jou's hair, and Jou was too busy sleeping.) turned to see what just had happened.

Bakura was glaring at Toya, who was now laying on the floor, once again having a nosebleed, and held Ryou close to his chest.

"THAT WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TOUCHED MY HIKARI, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" The former Tomb Robber roared, shaking his fist towards the man on the floor. "NEXT TIME, IT IS SHADOW REALM FOR YOU, YOU HEAR ME?!"

With those words, Bakura lifted Ryou up, and carried him over to his seat, placed him on his lap, and angrily started to give him a hickey.

After about five seconds, everyone turned away again and started chatting casually.

Except Toya, who was laying on the floor, whimpering. "My poor, poor nose..."

**End Chapter!**

...so? Did you guys like it? Or was it really, really bad? IT TOOK TIME AND EFFORT, DAMNIT!

...ehe...sorry. But, I would appreciate some reviews on what you all thought! I need reviews to continue! Or else I'll be really depressed and delete the story:O

No, just kidding. I won't delete anything. But, please review? I really need feedback now...oh, wait a minute. –runs off-

-comes back and holds out Yugi doing the puppyeyes- Look at those eyes! How can you say no?!

Yugi: ...-puppyeyes-

Aaaw...anyway!

Small note: Yes, there were maybe too much flashbacks in this story. But I added them so you could all understand what Seth misses, and why he ended up in the Shadow Realm! Sorry!

Okay, I'll see you in the next chapter! (No, prbably won't be any fast update...I'll try, by puppyshipping, I shall try!) –throws out cookies and chocolate-

-The Blonde Midget!


	7. Water And Saunas

Hi, hi, hi! See! A new chappie! Smell its wonderful scent of newly baked cookies! –sniffs-

...oh, no wait...that's my shoes smelling...-tosses them on Anzu-

Anzu: -suffocates-

Anyway! Here's a new chapter, just waiting for you to read it! ...so what are we waiting for?!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But Just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Noah! (Noah: Give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh, or I'll steal your bodies and jump out from my virtual world! –shakes fist through the computer screen-

Lawyers: ...-pulls out the plug to the computer-) O.o...that's cruel...T.T...

Pairings: Seth/Jou, Seto/Jou, Jou/?. Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou onesided Toya/Ryou. Maybe other pairings later.

**Chapter 7**

**On the Bus**

**09:46**

**Normal POV **

"Alright, class!" Mr. Neosho called out in the bus's loudspeakers. "We're five minutes from 'The Nile' now, so I suggest you all start to get ready to hop off." With a scraping sound, Neosho turned off the microphone again.

Seto flinched and looked up from the sleeping puppy. They were already there? That was impossible, it had not even been five minutes since they left school!

...hadn't it?

"_Did I really loose track of time that much?" _Seto confusedly thought, before slowly removing his hands from Jou's hair. It hadn't felt like much time at all...and he really wanted to touch the pup's hair more. _"Well, there's always the trip home..." _

Satisfied with that thought, Seto shrugged the shoulder Jou slept on. "Hey, mutt, wake up."

Moaning, Jou clenched his eyes shut even more, and snuggled into Seto's shoulder. "No...dun' wanna..." Before Seto could react, Jou's hands moved up to his arm and clutched it tightly.

Seto rolled his eyes. Then he rose his free hand and poked Jou in the side. "Wake up. Now."

Jou groaned, and slowly opened his eyes. The brown orbs were quite dazed, and only half awake. The blonde let his gaze wander over his surroundings, and slowly started to clear a little.

The amber orbs widened when Jou realised just who he was leaning on.

"Eeep!" Jou shrieked and flew up from Seto's shoulder. In only half a seconds, Jou sat as far away from Seto as he could possibly get, blushing to an unnatural shade of red. "I-I-I'm really sorry, Kaiba! I didn't mean to sleep with you!"

"..." Seto rose one eyebrow, and didn't say anything.

It took one second before Jou realised what he said. Then the blush became, if possible, even darker. "I meant on! ON! Not with, ON!"

With a chuckle, Seto looked away. "It's okay. Dogs usually likes sleeping on their masters."

At the insult, Jou's blush lessened, and he instead glared at the CEO. "I'm no dog!" He paused. _"...but...I did like sleeping on you..." _

Seto didn't answer; he just smirked, looking at the seat in front of him.

------

"Whoa!" Jou called out, staring around himself. "This place's huge!"

And, indeed, the water palace was indeed huge. There was at least ten different pools in the house; three kid pools where the water only was 1 metre deep, two swimming pools for only lane swimming, five pools with trampolines (1, 3, 5, 7, and 10metres high.) and another five pools where you could play. In those five playing pools, large slides were attached, some of them extremely high and stomach turning.

The place also had a spa-area with steam rooms (saunas), bubble pools and solariums. All very exclusive and perfectly taken cared of.

Jou was starry eyed. He had died and come to heaven.

The whole place was empty, and only their class was there. Neosho had been true to his words when he said that he had booked the whole place only for them!

Jou turned to the rest of the gang, hands on his hips. The dark green, baggy trunks he wore made his amber eyes stand out even more. Said amber eyes sparkled when he smiled to the others. "So, guys, what should we do first?"

Yami smirked. The pharaoh wore black trunks with golden streaks on the side, and his aibou wore a matching pair. His tanned and muscular chest drew gazes from every girl in their class, and giggles was heard every time they looked at him.

"Well...my aibou promised to go and ride that slide over there with me! So, here we go!" Yami threw Yugi up on his shoulder and ran off, ignoring the protests from his, now red, hikari.

Bakura smirked too, and wrapped one arm around his pale hikari's slender waist. His dark skin made a sharp contrast to the white pair of trunks he wore. "Ryou and I are going to the spa. I want to try out those boiling pits of water!"

Ryou rolled his eyes. He wore a pair of baby blue trunks, that hung low on his thin hips. "Bubble pools, Bakura. They're called bubble pools."

"You say tomato..." With that, Bakura dragged his hikari off towards the spa.

Jou blinked, and then pouted. "Aww...and here I thought we'd all spend the day together. Guess it's jus' you an' me now, Seth."

Seth smirked, and pulled Jou close to himself. "Why, yes. Isn't that just awful?" The Egyptian wore...well nothing. He stood brand naked in the water palace, causing all girls to fall over around himself, fainting at his sexiness.

...okay, no, that wasn't true.

Seth had got to borrow a pair of trunks in the reception. They were black, completely raven black. Seth's deeply tanned and muscular chest drew even more attention to it than Yami's. Girls didn't giggle. They fell over in drop dead faints, almost drowning in the puddles of drool which they had caused.

Why Seth was holding Jou close? Well, even if he had decided to not take this Jou and make him his, in honour of his beloved Jono, he could still have some fun. Fun like, making Jou blush as much as possible, making him look positively adorable.

Jou blushed deeply at being chest to chest with the half naked High Priest. Warmth seeped through his skin, into his heart, bypassing his stomach area and turning his insides to puddles of gush. He could only stand and stare at the hot Egyptian, only being able to think one thing.

_"...must...resist...urge...to...drool..."_

After five seconds of resisting drooling, Jou was finally able to make his body function again, and pulled back slightly. "Err...I...I guess not? Um...WHOA, I JUST GOT THIS URGE TO GO AND SWIM!" Blushing to the same shade like a tomato, Jou ripped himself free from Seth's warm embrace and raced towards one of the swimming pools.

Smirking, Seth watched Jou run away from him. By Ra, that boy was something special. _"Like Jono..." _The smirk fell from Seth's lips, and he sighed slightly. Not now, he wouldn't think of him right now. There would be time for sorrow later; now, he just needed to have some fun.

Before Seth could take one step towards the pool which Jou had run off to, a voice came from behind him. "U...Um...S-Seth-sama?" Seth turned around to see who had addressed him.

Behind the Egyptian stood several girls, all staring at his chest and abs. If he wasn't mistaking, all of them were drooling like mad, and had shiny stars in their eyes.

"...yes?" He said hesitantly.

One girl, a brunette with green eyes, blushed and spoke timidly. "W-We were just wondering if you would like to come swim with us?" The blush deepened. "I-It would make us really, really happy!"

Seth blinked slowly. "Well...I don't know..."

"GREAT!" The girls squealed, grabbed his arms and dragged him towards a large pool, in the opposite direction of which Jou had gone.

Seth paled.

_"Someone, save me."_

-----------

"_Someone, save me." _Seto thought to himself, leaning against a pillar three yards from a swimming pool. He was currently hiding, and tried to make as little sound as humanly possible.

The minute he had entered the water palace, all his fangirls had tried to jump him, screaming out how sexy they found him in his navy trunks and muscular chest. Leaving him no choice but to run and hide. And the only place he had found to hide in was behind this Egyptian pillar. Seto knew he wouldn't be safe there for long.

If he could only get to a pool...then perhaps he would be safe. He could hold his breath and dive under the water if another fangirl ran by. Yes, that was a better plan than the one he had right now.

Peeking out behind the pillar first to see if the coast was clear, Seto walked towards one of the pools, and quickly dove into it.

The cool water of the pool made him shiver slightly, but also smile underneath the water. Finally, he could swim again! He followed the bottom of the pool as long as he could until the need of oxygen forced him back up to the surface.

When his head reached above the surface of the clear water, Seto drew a deep breath and panted slightly. He lifted his hands to clear his eyes from water, and shook his head, making water drops fly in all directions from his hair. Seto sighed contently, and started to swim, first normal and then crawl.

Muscles rippled underneath his slightly tanned skin, and the water around his body only increased the sexiness of his body. Seto used every piece of strength he had while he swum, trying to keep up his high speed. It was a wonderful feeling to use his power until he was almost completely drained of energy.

After swimming ten laps, Seto grabbed the ledge in the end of the lane, breathing deeply. It had been some time since last, so his stamina wasn't really that good. Well, that didn't matter, he still had the technique and speed, so it all weighed up-

"Ya're kinda good at tha', y'know."

Seto dropped his grip on the ledge with shock, and actually swallowed a mouthful of chloride water before he could regain control of his body. Only one thought progressed in his mind.

_"Eugh, imagine what has been in this water!"_

Coughing wildly, Seto spun his head around to see just who that had dared to scare him like that.

Sitting on the ledge next to him was Jou. His blonde hair was slightly out of place, and dry, telling Seto that he hadn't been in the pool yet. The amber eyes watched him attentively, sparkling with some unknown emotion. His feet was gently dipped into the water, and swung gently, causing minor waves on the water.

Seto blinked.

God, Katsuya was cute.

Blinking curiously, Jou leaned his head to the side. Seto hadn't said a single word since his remark. He had just kept staring at him with the same dazed expression. "Kaiba?"

Seto quickly snapped out of his stupor, and glared. "Mutt, don't you know it's considered rude to sneak up on people like that?" His voice was much more cold than the rest of his body and mind felt.

Jou blushed, and looked down. "Well...I...I didn' sneak up on ya...I've been sittin' here for a few minutes already."

Once again, Seto felt dumb struck. "What?" That was a surprise. He must have been so caught up in his swimming that he hadn't noticed. "...why?"

The blush on Jou's cheeks got deeper.

"I...um...wantedtowatchyouswimokay?"

Seto rose one eyebrow. "Care to repeat that?"

Glancing at the CEO, Jou spoke again. "I...I...wanted to watch you swim. Tha's all. You looked really..." Once again, Jou glanced up. "...really like ya were havin' fun."

Seto blinked.

Like he was having fun?

...well, he had been having fun. But it was embarrassing that Jou had got to see this moment of weakness.

Seto turned his head to look on the wall in front of him. A faint hue of pink had appeared on his cheeks, and he had to fight it down before he spoke. "I see."

"Yeah..."

"..."

"..."

Silence fell between them. Seto kept watching the wall in front of him, and Jou swung his feet slightly, watching the waves his feet made.

After about a minute of uncomfortable silence, Seto sighed, making Jou's ears perk. "So. Why are you here, and not with your cheerleading squad?"

Jou glared at the brunet. "Oy! They're not a cheerleading squad, ya prick! They're my friends." Jou paused, and then blushed again. "...and...I came here...'cause...you promised to teach me how to swim better..."

Seto blinked. He had completely forgotten about that particular promise.

"...ah. Right." Seto's voice sounded less than enthusiastic, while his whole soul was cheering madly at the thought.

"You don't have to!" Jou said quickly, noticing the tone of Seto's voice. "I mean, I understand, an' it's not a big deal at all, and..."

"Get down here."

Jou blinked, and stared down at the brunet. "...say what?"

Groaning with annoyance, Seto rolled his eyes. "You want me to teach you how to swim better? Well, last time I checked, you needed water to swim. The water is down here, you are up there. So-" Seto grabbed Jou's ankle with a smirk. "-get down here." And the brunet gave a sharp tug.

With a surprised squeak, Jou fell down into the water with a soundly splash. The minute the water closed around his head, all sounds disappeared. Jou's eyes were wide open, and he stared at the clear water around him. Little bubbles danced around him like a giant cloud, and made it impossible to see anything at all.

Then, a pair of hands grabbed his upper arms, and tugged him upwards. The second Jou's head reappeared above the surface, he coughed and breathed deeply several times. Water stung his eyes, and he couldn't open them. Wet strands of hair stuck to his face, and he spit out a mouthful of water.

A low chuckle in front of him, only one inch from him to be exact, brought him back to the world of the living. "You look so much like a wet puppy right now." That voice could only belong to one person.

The amused voice made Jou blush with anger and embarrassment. "S-Shut up, Kaiba! 'S not my fault ya dragged me down like tha'! Jeez..." Jou rose a hand to rub away the water from his eyes.

Another hand beat him to it. Gentle fingers brushed away the water from around his eyes, and across his eyelids. Then they removed the wet bangs from his cheeks, forehead and rest of his face to place them behind his ears. "There. Open your eyes now."

Slowly, Jou did just that. What he saw made him almost choke on the air he just had breathed in.

Seto Kaiba stood only one inch from his face, one hand still on the side of his head. Those blue eyes with the tiny flickers of green in them pierced down upon him, making him unable to move.

As if that wasn't enough; Seto's hand rested on Jou's upper arm, and his body was really, really close to Jou. So close, in fact, that Jou could faintly make out the scent of cinnamon, now mixed with chloride, against his nostrils.

A light blush spread across Jou's nose and cheekbones. _"This...this is kind of...nice..." _

Before either of them could speak, a loud shriek was heard from not too far away.

"THERE HE IS! SETO! SETO, WAIT FOR US!"

Seto snapped his gaze away from Jou's beautiful features, and turned to the left of him.

Twenty girls, all of them huge fans of Seto, stood at the edge of the pool, all drooling at the sight of him. Their eyes were all shiny and full of worship and admiration.

Seto felt his eyes widen fearfully as he said two well chosen words.

"Oh, fuck."

Before Jou knew it, Seto was up on the ledge of the pool, water dripping from his features. With a quick motion, he pulled Jou up from the water as well. "Come on, mutt!" Seto ran, dragging Jou after him by his wrist.

The girls just stood at the ledge, completely still for a moment. Then, their leader pulled out from her stupor, and pointed in the direction the two boys had run. "HE'S GETTING AWAY! CATCH HIM!" And so began the great chase, the girls giggling, and squealing while going on a stampede.

It was quite a scene to see; Seto Kaiba running, dragging a blonde, and slightly disoriented, boy behind him, and only about ten metres behind, twenty fangirls chasing the two, squealing all the way.

Seto cursed at seeing that the girls had started to follow them. Due to the slippery floor, Seto couldn't run as fast as he usually did, in fear of falling and hurting himself and Jou. They couldn't keep this chase up for long, that he knew.

Deciding to try to loose the girls by using the same trick as earlier, Seto pulled Jou up behind a pillar and held him against it. He held his hand over Jou's mouth, just to make sure that the blonde didn't make any sound that would possibly reveal them. Then he waited.

The squealing horde of girls ran past their hiding place, completely missing them where they hid. They all ran towards the end of the palace, thinking that the two may have run in that direction.

Sighing with relief that they were safe for the moment, Seto relaxed.

Bless the stupidity of fangirls.

A low, muffled noise close to him made Seto move his attention from the way the girls had run.

Jou was glaring at him, pointing to his mouth, where Seto's hand still lingered. The muffled noise sounded somewhat like 'move tha' hand, Kaiba!'. And the glare also spoke it's clear language.

It was then Seto realised that he had his hand tightly pressed against Jou's mouth. Meaning, also tightly pressed against his lips. Those rosy, lush, soft, smooth and warm lips of his. Those rosy, lush, soft, smooth and warm lips that he wanted so badly to kiss and ravish with his own...

Seto quickly snapped out of the thought, and removed his hand. Stupid, stupid, perverted mind! Damn those evil things called hormones...

"Phew!" Jou drew a deep breath and panted. The amber eyes shot lightning towards the tall brunet. "Could ya hold any tighter, moneybags? I couldn' breath!"

"Whatever." Seto muttered, turning his gaze away from the blonde, instead trying to see where the fangirls had gone. They wouldn't be safe there any longer. "We should find somewhere else to hide. They won't be fooled like this again."

Jou rolled his eyes. "Kaiba, they're just girls! Wha's the worst that could happen?"

Seto turned his gaze to Jou again. The blonde flinched at seeing the seriousness that lingered in those blue pools, along with coldness.

"...you've never had any fangirls, have you?" The statement wasn't an insult; it was just a truthful question.

Jou glared slightly, before closing his eyes, thinking. A safe place...a safe place to hide in a water palace...hm...

Suddenly, Jou's face lit up and he snapped his eyes open. "I know the perfect place to hide! Follow me, Kaiba." Jou grabbed the other's wrist and started to sneak towards a door not too far away. After checking that no one were watching them, Jou opened the door and dragged Seto inside. Just before they entered, Seto read the sign on the door.

**Sauna.**

The second the door closed behind them, Seto found himself surrounded by intense heat, making it difficult to breath. Water steam made everything foggy around him, and he could just barely make out Jou in it. The intense heat made him sweat, and the water on his skin suddenly burned.

The room was quite small; every wall about four metre long, and two metres high. It was wooden all around, broad boards making the walls. There were benches against every wall, and in the middle there was a hole with hot rocks in. Next to the hole, there was a water bucket and a large scoop in it. Seto understood where the steam came from now...

It was like being in an oven.

He would never bake anything in the oven ever again.

"Jou!" He hissed, glaring at the blonde. "What the hell did you take us in here for?!"

Jou smiled and sat down on one of the wooden benches in one of the ends of the room. "The girls won't come in here. This is the boy's sauna, they _can't_ go in here. An', even if they did sneak a peak, they won't be able to see anythin' 'cause of the smoke!"

Seto blinked.

For once, Jou had used his brain.

He was actually quite impressed. _"Not only cute, but smart too." _

Not one second after thinking that thought, Seto mentally slapped himself. _"No! He's not cute, he's not smart, he's a mutt! Nothing else! A mutt, a dog, my puppy!" _Pause. _"DAMN!" _

Jou blinked, noticing the way Seto had gone dazed after his statement. "...Kaiba? Ya okay, man?"

Seto flinched, and nodded quickly. "Of course I am. What a dumb question." He snorted, and sat down on the bench next to Jou, keeping some distance.

Jou glared at him, and huffed. "Well, sorry for bein' concerned, ya jerk! Some people are sensitive to heat, an' doesn' feel very good in saunas. Just wanted to make sure tha'a ya don' faint on me or somethin'." Jou crossed his arms and glared at the wall next to him.

A slight stab to his heart followed when Jou looked away. Seto didn't like the way Jou's eyes filled with hurt anger. Sure, it was fun to tease the puppy and see his eyes flare with annoyance, and cute anger. Jou always pouted slightly when he was angry, making him utterly adorable. Seto liked that pout.

This anger, though, wasn't fun at all. It only made his eyes grow darker, and narrowed them. It wasn't adorable, it only made Seto unsatisfied. He wanted to have that angry pout, and that cute flare in Jou's eyes.

Sighing, Seto glanced at the blonde. "...I guess that I should be thankful that you were concerned, huh?"

Jou huffed, and crossed his arms, not turning around. "Damn straight ya should be! I'm only concerned about people tha' means anythin' to me an'..." Jou paused and went through what he just had said. At understanding what he just had hinted, a light blush, not only caused by the heat around them, rose to his cheeks.

Seto blinked, and turned to fully look at the blonde. _"I'm only concerned about people tha' means anythin' to me..." _But...that would mean...that Jou actually...cared about him.

...well, that was indeed unexpected.

"I see." The brunet said calmly. On the inside, however, he was nothing but calm. _"The puppy cares for me?! That's just absurd! Completely veil! Preposterous!" _Seto paused his own thoughts. _"...but...I can't deny that it's nice to know." _

In the silence that followed the CEO's words, Jou started to fidget. The silence was starting to eat him up. And so was the way Seto was looking out straight in front of him, not even sparing him another glance. It was unnerving to not know what the brunet was thinking, and not to know whether he was angry, annoyed or happy.

Jou glanced at Seto from the corner of his eyes. It was strange. A week ago, if someone said that he would be sitting with the brunet in a sauna, all alone, hiding together, Jou would have laughed and asked if they had eaten any of Bakura's cooking. But now...it all seemed so natural.

Maybe...maybe he was starting to like the brunet a tad bit more than before. Perhaps all that arguing with the CEO was starting to ebb out. Jou wouldn't mind that. It would be rather pleasant, actually, to be able to talk to Seto, friendly, and without any words of malice.

A light blush spread across Jou's cheeks once more.

He wouldn't mind that at all.

Seto suddenly turned to look at the blonde. He rose one eyebrow at seeing the way Jou stared at him with a light blush playing on his face. "Hey, pup, are you feeling okay? You look red."

Jou flinched, and blushed even deeper. Seto had noticed his staring! "Err...I-I'm fine! Really! Never better! I's...I's jus' a little hot in 'ere, don't ya think?" To prove his point, Jou fanned himself slightly with his hand, laughing nervously.

Now, when you're inside a sauna, and you're feeling hot, there's some things you do not do.

You do not pour water on yourself. The water just goes hot, and burns you.

You do not touch any walls, or metallic objects. You'll burn yourself.

You do not slap your partner in the sauna (even though it's hilarious). It hurts the person with you, but also makes your hand suffer. (pour a bucket of water over them instead. )

And, lastly, you do not fan yourself. The air cools your skin down for one second, and then the heat comes back twice as bad.

Which Jou was about to painfully experience.

"OUCH!" Jou winced when his skin suddenly started to sting and flew up to his feet. It felt like his face was on fire! "Ow, ow, ow..." He whimpered again, again and time again.

Seto rose too at seeing his puppy's obvious discomfort. "Mutt, what are you doing?"

"I'm no mutt!" The blonde growled, contradicting himself, and then winced again. "My face's stinging..."

"Let me have a look." That was the only warning Jou got.

Seto leaned forward and took Jou's chin in one hand, looking down on the blonde's face. His eyes scanned for any obvious clue to why Jou's face would sting. He found none, but Jou's face was coloured in a strange shade of red.

That shade of red was, naturally, not caused by any pain. It was caused by the close proximity he now shared with the CEO. Feeling that warm hand on his chin, and sensing that sent of cinnamon, chloride and something more, made Jou's senses reel and his head spun fast...

Actually, Jou's head spun rather fast...and not only because of the closeness of the brunet. The heat was really getting to him.

A wave of dizziness hit Jou, and his eyes lidded slightly. Suddenly, there was no strength left in his muscles, making his knees buckle, sending him falling forward. He didn't fall very far, though. Something was in the way.

Seto was shocked when Jou's eyes suddenly lidded, and the blond stumbled forward, straight into his chest. Jou's hands rested on his shoulders, and his forehead against his chest. His chest was heaving heavily, and he was on the verge of hyperventilating.

Quickly, in order to prevent Jou from falling, Seto wrapped his arms around Jou's thin waist, and held him up. The boy wasn't very heavy, Seto noted when Jou leaned his entire body weight against him. Worry was starting to grow within Seto.

"Jounouchi? What's the matter?" He asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice, only succeeding halfway.

A muffled groan was all that he was answered with.

"Oh, shit..." Seto muttered to himself. "First you sleep on me, now you faint on me as well? What's next? You'll die on me too?" Seto shifted his feet slightly.

Unfortunately, when he did so, his legs got intervened with Jou's, making him loose his balance. Desperately, Seto tried to regain the control of his feet, and his balance. But, even though Seto was a powerful man, there was one thing he could not control.

Gravity.

With a loud groan, Seto fell backwards on the wooden floor, Jou sprawled on top of him, a tangle of arms and legs. Jou, who now had fallen almost completely unconscious, whimpered slightly at falling, before letting his head rest against Seto's chest.

"Damnit..." Seto hissed, and tried to sit up. Which turned out to be impossible, seeing that a certain someone was laying on top of him. "Stupid mutt." The brunet muttered, but not with much intensity.

It was then, the door opened.

"B-Bakura, a-ah...that's nice..." Came the soft, fleeting voice of Ryou, slightly breathless for some reason.

"Hikari, all I do feels nice, what's the difference this time aro-" Bakura's voice paused. "...well, Ryou, it seems like someone stole our idea of screwing in the sauna."

"Shut up, idiot." Kaiba muttered, finally finding the strength to sit up, Jou still in his arms. "The mutt fainted, that's all."

Bakura, who held a very red hikari in his arms, smirked. "Fainted. I see...he fainted very accurate, don't you think?"

Before Seto could lash out his anger at the white haired Egyptian, Ryou stepped into action.

"Bakura, stop that!" He said shortly, before stepping up to the CEO. Ryou took Jou from Seto's arms so he could get up, and then looked down on the blonde in his arms. "I think Jou needs to relax somewhere cool...we should take him to the teacher..."

"I'll do that." Seto muttered, and took Jou from Ryou's arms. Putting one arm under Jou's knees and the other behind his back, Seto lifted him bridal style and headed for the half open door, courtesy of Bakura. Without saying thanks, or anything else for that matter, Seto exited the all-too-hot room, leaving Ryou and Bakura alone.

Bakura grinned.

"Well then Ryou...lets continue where we left off..." And thus, the Tomb Robber pounced.

----------

**2 hours later...**

"Alright, students, stand still now so I can count you!" Mr. Neosho said, while they all stood outside the water palace, newly showered and laughing over everything funny that had happened over the day.

Ryou was blushing deeply while being held in Bakura's arms, bridal style. When people asked, Ryou blushed even worse and mumbled something about that his legs wouldn't carry him. Bakura's satisfied smirk said a lot in it self too.

Jou was leaning on Seth, who looked worried and constantly asked if he was alright, to which Jou constantly answered that, yes, he was fine. But, Jou didn't feel quite as fine as he said he was. His eyes refused to stay open, and he felt really worn out. It did feel better than earlier though, nothing that a good nap wouldn't fix...

Jou stared longingly at the bus.

"...thirty three...yes, that makes all of us! Dandy!" Mr. Neosho clapped his hands together and smiled. "Well then, get on the bus now, boys and girls. Same seats as on the way here..." He turned to glare at Bakura. "And that includes Ryou back next to Toya too, Bakura."

Bakura growled, but knew better than to complain. Instead, he turned to the bus and stomped towards it along with the other students, frown not disappearing until Ryou ran up next to him and kissed him on the cheek.

Soon, they were all seated on the bus, and started the ride home again.

Jou yawned, and rubbed his eyes before turning to the brunet next to him who was merely glaring at the seat in front of him again. (a small brown spot slowly forming on it where his gaze rested.)

"Kaiba, if it's alright, I'm just gonna sleep now..."

Seto shrugged, still glaring at the seat. "Do as you wish."

Smiling, Jou leaned backwards in his seat and closed his eyes. Ah...sleep. Wonderful, wonderful sleep. How Jou loved to sleep and dream pleasant and nice dreams. Being able to just slip away to your own little world, where anything imaginable could happen; pink pandas serving pizza, Santa pole dancing, squirrels chirping...

Jou soon slept deeply, not knowing about anything that was happening anymore.

Not more than one minute later, Jou's head leaned to the side, and his body slid until hitting something soft and completely sleepable. Sighing, Jou snuggled into said thing, and continued to sleep.

Seto blinked, and once again turned his gaze to the side. At seeing the blonde sleeping on his shoulder again, Seto got a strange sense of deja vu.

...not that he was complaining...

Smiling ever so slightly, Seto started to play with Jou's hair absently, while staring out into space in front of him, only enjoying the feel of the blonde hair between his fingers, and the smell of apples from his puppy.

---------

Jou felt...warm. And fuzzy. And sleepy. His head felt heavy too. He really didn't want to open his eyes; he laid so comfortably against something warm and snuggable. Almost like a pillow, only a little harder.

Smiling, Jou snuggled closer to said comfortable thing.

It was then he noticed that someone was playing with his hair.

Jou almost choked when he felt fingers drag through the long strands, and let them fall back against his face. Then the strands were lifted slightly, and spun around something. It was a strange feeling. But...not uncomfortable...not at all.

The question was, who was playing with his hair?!

Slowly, Jou opened his eyes. The first thing that met his gaze was a grey floor. Considering the way it moved slightly under him, he concluded that it was a bus floor.

Move gaze. His own lap. Blue pants, slightly dirty and torn, with hands resting against his thighs.

Move gaze. Someone else's lap. A pair of equally blue pants as his own, just cleaner and newer looking.

Move gaze. Someone else's chest. A blue jacket, buttoned up perfectly covered it. Broad chest, clearly muscled. Very nice to rest one's eyes on. Totally drool-worthy.

Move gaze. A face. A very familiar face. With blue eyes, surrounded by brown, chestnut hair.

Jou's eyes widened considerably. It was...Seto? The CEO of Kaiba Corp? His sworn enemy and rival? Playing with his hair? Stroking his head in a way that almost made him purr? It was very clear what Jou should do now!

Quickly, to make sure that the CEO didn't notice it, Jou closed his eyes again and pretended to sleep. Why he did that?

Well...it felt nice to be taken cared of like that. To know that someone was watching him. And the light touches to his scalp were quite pleasant too. And...that it was Seto Kaiba that was doing it didn't make it any worse.

Smiling again, though this time it was more like an impish grin, Jou resumed feigning sleep, and enjoyed the feel of Seto's gentle hand against his hair.

**End Chapter!!!**

Ookay, so that's my new chapter! Yay, cute snuggling on the bus! And Jou enjoyed it...:D

Oh, and I still need to know; How many wants me to add the Otogi/Honda pairing? It doesn't matter to me...but tell me what you think!

Now. Review me! Like any other author, I need feedback, and reviews to continue writing! I need to hear if it's good, or bad...So, please, do me a favour, and review! Please? PLEASE!

Oh, and while I am at it...THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO DID REVIEW! I LOVE YOU ALL! Specially mandapandabug, because you're awesome, a muse and an ideagiver! Thank you! –glomps-

Well, that's all I've got to say for now...now, please review, and I'll reward you with a new chapter! (err...when I can finish it that is...) Love and chocolate to you all!

-The Blonde Midget!


	8. Surprises

HI ALL YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE! –runs around in circles- 

Jou: -sweatdrop- Err...she has eaten too much nougat...for inspiration...-bows-

Seto: -rolls eyes- Stupid midget...

-glomps the two men- OH, I LOVE YOU TWO! YAY!

Seto/Jou: ...-chokes-

-jumps around again- CHAPPIE, CHAPPIE, CHAPPIE!

-two hours and 7456003 jumps and cheers later-

Phew! Now I'm done! I'm just super happy about having written more! Yay! ...and yes, also because all my nougat...I like nougat...-cough- Moving on...

Thanks all reviewers! You mean the world to me! You guys are just sooo sweet! You know, I haven't had a single bad review on this?! YAY! ...not yes, that is...please don't hate me?

And yes, I know, I have been slow on updating lately...and for that I am truly sorry. I just haven't had so much inspiration...plus tons of homework...-sighs- Ah, well...I try to update as soon as I have a new chapter, but when I finish a chapter, I need to read it through a couple of times, and change a few things...-bows- sorry.

But...I'm just keeping you all waiting, ain't I?

Readers: -nods angrily-

Oh...well, lets get started!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh...but just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Marik! (Marik: -uses Millennium Rod on the lawyers- Siiign the contract...siiiiign iiiit...

Lawyers: ...-are immune-) Doh!

Pairings: Seth/Jou, Seto/Jou, Jou/?. Bakura/Ryou, Yami/Yugi, onesided Toya/Ryou. Also, I will perhaps add Otogi/Honda, or at least hint at it.

Warnings: The same as last chapters!

Well...that's all, folks! Read, and review at the end!

Chapter 8 

**School**

**12:35**

**Normal POV**

"...and then we move along to the first dynasty of Egypt, when the first pharaoh was chosen..."

"_Booooriiiing..." _Jou whined inside his head, letting his chin rest against his hand, elbow against his desk.

Mr. Neosho was currently explaining certain happenings in the ancient times of Egypt. From the very beginning. Like, so far in the beginning like explaining how the first sheep had entered the land and started chewing grass, and then was killed by the first Egyptians.

Jou stole a glance to Seth beside him, and then to Seto on the other side. Though, right now, he had a really hard time to tell the two apart.

The two brunets were both wearing their school uniforms today; the principal had had a long and serious talk to Seth about the clothing etiquette in Domino High School, and had almost thrown a uniform on Seth. Scratch the almost.

That aside...he really should be focusing on the teacher right now...not on the two sexy guys on either side of him...

A yawn passed the blonde's mouth, and he blinked hard to try to get rid of the fatigue. He couldn't fall asleep right now. He had to listen to the lecture, however boring it was. He just had to...

Amber eyes closed, an elbow slipped and...

THUD! 

Several giggles and muffled laughs was heard when Jou quickly snapped his head up from his desk, having hit it quite hard. His two bench comrades had two completely different looks on their faces.

Seth looked worried, and his eyes just screamed out _'are you okay?!' _

Seto was smirking, and his eyes just screamed _'I would laugh if that wasn't beneath me.' _

"Well, Mr. Jounouchi, I'm glad that you've decided to finally join us." Mr. Neosho said slyly, voice smooth and very I-know-it-all voice.

Jou blushed when muffled laughs were heard all around him again. "S-Sorry, Mr. Neosho..."

The old man merely rolled his eyes before turning back to the board to write down a few more unnecessary notes that none of them really would ever need. "Never mind, Katsuya. Well, lets see where we left off...ah, right, the Egyptians had started to use the Nile's yearly floods..."

"Katsuya, are you okay, sweet one?" Seth asked, and gave Jou a look of sympathy. The nickname 'sweet one', had he picked up from Yami, only for the sake of;

1. Making Jou blush,

2. Making Kaiba jealous and see if he could get a reaction out of him.

Blushing at the nickname, Jou nodded. "I-I'm fine, Seth...t-thanks for asking..." The blond gave Seth a calming smile, and then turned back to the lecture that Neosho was currently making.

Seth pretended to also start to take part of the lecture. But, instead, he glanced at Seto to see if he had reacted at all to the little flirt he just had made. The reaction was very pleasing to Seth.

If looks could kill, Seth would probably have been dead by now.

---------

**After class...**

Jou ran to his locker to fetch his books quickly before the next class would begin. Between this and next class, he only had ten minutes, and then he had to get to the other side of the building.

He had the worst schedule ever.

Panting slightly, Jou threw in his history books and pulled out the folder he needed for music class. One of his absolute favourite subjects. That, art and physical education. Who really needed all that other crap?

...well, except doctors...and professors...and teachers...and clerks in really tiny shops...oh, just shut up.

Jou slammed his locker shut and then took of through the corridor, hoping to reach the right classroom and still have time to catch his breath again.

It was then he saw, standing by a open locker, Seth. The brunet had his back towards him, and was currently looking for something inside his locker. Seth had the same class as him now, so he had to hurry. Deciding to make sure that Seth would make it in time and make him walk with him, Jou made his way towards him.

A very evil idea suddenly crept up in Jou's head. (and, yes he does get ideas.) It was time to scare the brunet former High Priest, just as he had been scaring and surprising him for a while now...

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Jou sneaked up behind the other man's back as silently as he could.

Not that it would have made any difference if he made a sound, seeing that half the student body was stampeding through the corridor.

One metre behind the other, Jou paused for a second.

Then he pounced.

"Hi, Seth!" He cried out happily, before latching himself onto Seth's waist. Arms wrapped tightly around the brunet, Jou felt clearly how tense the other became. And how much he smelled of cinnamon. Yummy.

"...I would like to advise you to get out of my personal space at once, mutt. Or I'll have to remove you by force." A deep, cold, sending-chills-down-your-spine voice stated from above him.

A deep, cold, sending-chills-down-your-spine voice that only could belong to one person. The last person on Earth that Jou normally would have glomped.

Amber eyes widened fearfully.

"...AH!" Jou quickly jumped away from Seto, and stared at him with wide, nervous and somewhat scared eyes. When the brunet turned around to glare at him, Jou finally managed to speak. "I-I-I am really, really sorry, Kaiba!" He shrieked in a manly way.

...yes, you can shriek manly. Totally.

"I really d-didn' mean to-"

"Whatever." Seto snorted before he closed his locker, lifted up his briefcase and walked in the opposite direction of Jou.

Sighing deeply at his misfortune today, Jou got to his feet. It wasn't his fault that the CEO and Seth were so alike! Couldn't there have been some differences at least? Like, Seth could have had black hair. Or one of them could have been dead ugly, so that he wouldn't even want to hug one of them, but run in the other direction screaming.

...not that he found either of the boys very attractive. Of course not. Not at all. Why would he?

Just because Seth had that wonderful smile, sexy tan and great personality...

...and that Kaiba had such a strong glare that made him go weak in the knees, a wonderful body and that it sent wonderful shivers down his spine when he played with his hair...

Blushing beet red at that thought, Jou clutched his folder tighter to his chest, and made a mad dash towards the music class.

It looked like he wouldn't get any time to catch his breath after all...

--------

"_Stupid mutt." _Seto growled within his mind, eyes glaring so hard in front of himself that a girl squeaked when his gaze fell upon her, and she jumped behind a locker to hide. _"Why did he have to jump me like that, making me..." _Seto paused.

Making him what exactly? Scared? No, Seto Kaiba was never scared, except if Mokuba's life was on the line. Surprised? Well, yes, but that wouldn't bother him that much. The warm hug had just made him...well...

"_...feel. He made me feel something." _Seto thought to himself, glare subsiding somewhat, steps haltering making him stand completely still in the middle of the corridor. _"But what?" _

It was something that Seto couldn't figure out. The second he had heard the puppy's voice and felt those warm arms around him, his heart had made a sudden jump, before racing of in a crazy speed. Warmth had enveloped him, and he would have blushed if it wasn't for those mental hardwires inside his mind that stopped such actions.

His first instinct was to kill Jou for intruding on his personal space. (what, he had intimacy issues!)

But a very persistent part of him was screaming for him to push the blonde up the row of lockers, kiss him and ravish him for all he was worth.

Seeing that killing Jou could possibly send him to jail, and kissing and ravishing him would ruin his reputation, Seto decided to do something in between; tell him as calmly as he could to get off him.

The second Jou had screamed and pulled away, Seto felt a small tug on his heart, and cold. Not pleasant at all. But he ignored it, and the puppy's stuttered excuses, and left.

And was now standing in the middle of the corridor, looking like a complete moron, pondering on his own actions.

Why...why hadn't he pushed the blonde off him and screamed at him for hugging him? Normally, he would have done that, making sure to make the other regret such and action. Could it be because he...was starting to...like...him?

Seto scowled and continued walking towards his classroom. _"Stupid mutt." _He repeated within himself. _"You make me think too much." _

--------

Music-room 

**Normal POV**

"Good, very good, class!" The young, female teacher, Sakura, said, straining to smile after the class had sung some awful song without meaning or message, completely out of key.

Being a music teacher sucked sometimes.

Clapping her hands together, she spoke again. "Well, there's not much left of the lesson...but, as usual, one of you will have to make a performance for the class!"

Yes. This was something Sakura had come up with when they first started the class; every lesson, someone had to come up and perform a song for the class. Something the whole class enjoyed thoroughly...

Yes, I was being sarcastic. Go figure.

Almost the whole class groaned, and rolled their eyes, before shrinking down in their seats, trying to avoid the teacher's searching gaze to find her victim.

"Oh, come on!" Sakura said, and glared. "One of you have to do it, so why don't someone volunteer? It will make you get out of here faster!" She put her hands on her hips in an annoyed gesture.

Of course, she didn't expect that anyone would say that they wanted to sing in front of the class, so she'd have to pick out someone...and she knew just the one. One of the few in the school who's voice was good enough to listen to.

Smiling, Sakura turned to Jou. "Jounouchi-kun, would you please get up here and sing for the class?"

Jou blinked in surprise, and then blushed when the whole class turned to stare at him. "U-

Um...miss, I don'..."

"Come on, Jounouchi." Sakura persisted, and smiled.

"But..."

"NOW!" She finally snapped, making the whole class hold their ears at her piercing voice.

Nervously, Jou scrambled to his feet. "Okay, okay! Jeez..." Regretfully, the blonde walked up to the front of class, a pale blush rising to his cheek at every step.

Seth, who had sit next to the blonde, sat up more straight, an interested look in his eyes. Could this Katsuya sing as well as the one in his time? Seth could still recall the soft and tender voice of his past lover, and the way he had sung beautiful hymns in both Nubian and Egyptian. Especially the first song he had sung...

_Flashback _

_"What can you do, Katsuya?"_

_The blonde slave flinched, and looked up under his long, blonde bangs. "Master?" His voice was fearful, and very soft. _

_Seth, who stood by the window looking on the stars outside, turned around to his slave. A smile played on his lips, and his eyes sparkled with the stars outside. "When I bought you yesterday, I was not told about what you could do more than working and being beautiful. What more can you do?" _

_Katsuya blushed at the beautiful comment, and looked down on the stone floor. He let his index finger trace a small crack in it. "I-I'm not beautiful...but..." He bit his lip. "...I can sing quite well..." _

_Soft footsteps walked up to the blonde on the floor, and soon Katsuya saw two feet and purple blue silk stand in front of him. _

_Seth sat down next to his slave, and lifted up his chin so he could see the other's eyes. An unreadable look was in his eyes, and he smiled. _

"_Sing for me." _

_Katsuya blushed at the closeness, and nodded slightly, still not looking the other man in the eye. He drew a deep breath. Then he sang. _

_Soft, gentle tones danced under the stars, on a to Seth unknown language. It intrigued him, and made the song even more perfect. Katsuya's eyes were closed while he sung, and he seemed to pour every ounce of his being into every word. It was a slow song, and seemed quite sad even though Seth couldn't understand the words. _

_When the last tone of the song had faded, Katsuya closed his mouth and looked down again. The blush had faded while he sung, and his skin was now its regular brown colour, only slightly lighter than Seth's skin. The silence after the song was complete. _

_While the silence stretched, Seth caressed Katsuya's cheek gently, and played a little with his hair. It took several minutes, if not hours, before Seth dared to speak. _

"_What was the song about?" Seth asked softly, almost afraid to break the silence. _

_For a few minutes, Katsuya didn't speak. His eyes told Seth that Katsuya was thinking. When he finally did speak, his voice was quiet. _

"_Loneliness." The word was spoken with deep sadness. "I-It's about a man who looses his wife and daughter, and then dies from a broken heart..." Katsuya's voice went quiet, and he bowed his face lower. _

_A frown reached Seth's face, and he once again lifted the blonde's chin. The wonderful amber eyes were filled to the brim with tears that the other did not shed. Katsuya bit his lower lip to keep in a sob. _

_Gently, Seth leaned down and kissed the skin under Katsuya's eyes. "You will be lonely no more, Katsuya." _

"_Master..." Katsuya whimpered softly, a tear escaping his eyes. _

"_Call me Seth." _

_End Flashback_

Seth was thrown out of his little memory when the teacher spoke. "Well then, Jounouchi, what will you sing for us then?"

Jou, who still blushed, scratched the back of his neck. "Well...I guess I could sing..." Jou's face suddenly brightened when he found something he could sing. " 'Welcome to wherever you are', with Bon Jovi!" Shyly, he looked at the teacher. "I-If tha's okay?"

Sakura merely smiled and sat down on a chair by the door. "Go on."

Clearing his throat, Jou folded his hands behind his back and drew a deep breath, closing his eyes. Then he sung.

"_Maybe we're all different, but we're still the same. We all got the blood of Eden, running through our veins..." _And Jou continued to sing.

Through the whole song, everyone was silent and looked at Jou, seemingly lost in his voice and the music that he created, with only his voice. Jou was an excellent singer, no one could disagree to that. He had quite a talent.

Jou finally reached the two final sentences. _"When you want to give, and your heart's about to break, remember that you're perfect, God makes no mistakes..." _Jou drew a deep breath, and opened his eyes.

The whole classroom was silent for about a minute. Then the whole class clapped their hands enthusiastically. Some even whistled and cheered.

Blushing and grinning wildly, Jou bowed slightly. He wasn't used that people cheered like that when he sung, which he most often only did on music classes or when he was alone. He had never had such an audience...

"Very good, Jou!" Sakura said happily, before standing up. "Now, class, seeing that Jou did so well, you may all leave right now. Have a nice day, all of you!"

The last sentence wasn't even heard; the whole class had already rushed out at the word 'leave'.

Walking towards Jou's locker, Seth wrapped one arm around the blonde. "My, my, my, Katsuya." He said slyly, grinning at seeing the blush on Katsuya's cheeks. "Didn't know you could sing quite that well..."

Blushing more for the contact of their bodies than Seth's words, Jou shrugged. "Well, y-ya know...I just practise alot...a-and I sung falsely several times!"

"Sure you did." Seth teased, ticking Jou in the side he had his hand. "So many noticed..."

Squirming, Jou tried to get away from the tickling fingers, squeaking al along. "A-Ah, Seth, s-stop that! Tickles..." A giggle escaped Jou, making him sound very adorable.

Seth merely smirked. "Ticklish?" If Seth's memory wasn't failing him, Katsuya from his time was very ticklish in the neck area...

Smirking devilishly, Seth used his other hand to reach up to Jou's slim neck. After meeting Jou's fearful gaze, he let his fingers draw circles lightly on the sensitive skin. Satisfaction rose within Seth when he felt Jou tense.

Wonderful yet torturous sensations made Jou want to jump out of his skin and run away screaming. Alas, he couldn't do that; leaving his skin behind would be very unpleasant. So, instead, he started to try to squirm away from Seth. And when that didn't work...

"S-Seth, sto-o-op!" He begged pitifully, shaking with giggles and ticklish shivers. "Truce! Truce!"

"Hm...I don't know..." Seth said slyly, and let his fingers continue their torture. "What would you do for me?"

Squeaking slightly, Jou spoke again. "A-anything, just stop! I-t ti-ickles !"

Smirking, Seth pulled away his fingers, and let go of the blonde. "Alright...I'll remember that, sweet one." He bent down closer to the blonde, making the other blush and shrink backwards into a row of lockers. The brunet put one hand just next to Jou's face, and leaned down to his ear.

"I'll _definitely_ remember." Seth muttered into Jou's ear, blowing warm air onto it.

Jou almost whimpered at that whispered promise.

-----------

**15:00**

**Normal POV**

Finally, the last school bell rang, and the whole student body rushed out of the building, of to wherever they went after school; either home, sports or to some secret job that no one knew of, because it could get them expelled.

"God, I thought I would die in there..." Ryou muttered, leaning onto Bakura.

Yugi, who was happily held in the arms of Yami, looked at his tired friend. "Oh? What's the matter, Ryou-kun?"

"We had PE last lesson..." The pale boy muttered with his British accent. "...dance. Waltz. And I danced with Bakura."

"Ooh..." The whole gang, minus Bakura and Ryou, said. It was a known fact that Bakura couldn't dance. At all.

No wonder Ryou had a hard time walking.

Bakura glared at them all. "What? I'm not _that_ bad..."

"Yes, you are." They all said in the same time, rolling their eyes.

The former King of Thieves glared harder, and crossed his arms. "Hmph! Whatever! At least I'm sexy enough to live without the knowledge of dancing!"

"I guess that's your excuse for not knowing anything else as well...?" Yami smirked.

Before Bakura could attempt to strangle the former Pharaoh, Ryou grabbed his arm and pulled him in for a kiss. Only to shut him up and make him forget about the insult, of course. Naturally, Bakura instantly wrapped his arms around Ryou and kissed back without complains.

The rest of the gang merely turned away from the snogging couple.

"Hey, Jou I heard that you did great in your music class today?" Yugi smiled.

Jou blushed a little, and laughed, trying to be modest. "Aw, well...I sung falsely several times..."

"And the whole class was all cheers and applause." Seth finished, and smirked when Jou blushed even more. "Katsuya did really, really well."

Another voice decided to come in to the conversation. "Huh. And here I was, thinking that dogs could only bark...maybe we should send him in to Animal Planet, they could do a nice program on talented dogs?"

Jou growled, and turned around. Behind him, some feet away, stood Seto Kaiba, smirking in his 'I'm-better-than-you-fuck-off '- kind of way. Briefcase in one hand, and the other hand in his pocket, he made the ultimate picture of nonchalance.

Glaring, Jou clenched his hands into fists. "Shut up, Kaiba! I'm no dog, damnit!"

Seto merely rose one eyebrow. "With the way you're growling, mutt, I'd say you're contradicting yourself."

That brought out a scowl on Jou's face, and he took one step closer to the other. "Kaiba, I'm warning ya..."

"Oh my, I think I'm actually shaking..." Oh, the wonders of sarcasm...

"Come on, you guys..." Yugi said carefully, trying to restore the peace between them all. But, before he could even say one more word, another voice interrupted them all.

"Well, well, well, is that not a sight for sore eyes...Katsuya?" It was a deep, manly voice that said this.

Jou, recognizing the voice at once, stiffened for a second before turning around towards the voice.

Amber eyes widened.

"S-Sam?!"

**End Chapter!!! **

CLIFFIE! Who is 'Sam'? You'll see in the next thrilling chapter!

And, yes, I know that that flashback was quite unnecessary...I just wanted to add some Seth/Jono fluff...and it will have meaning in later chapters! I promise! Just hang in there!

Ah, and now...time for you all to review! MAKE ME HAPPY! PUT ME IN WRITING MODE!

All authors need reviews to continue. And, you all tell me to write more...well, give me reviews, and I will! I'll love you forever! I'll try to reply your reviews, I promise!

Well, thank you for all your time! Love you all! –throws out chocolate-

-The Blonde Midget


	9. Meet Sam

Hi again, dear readers and reviewers:D 

First off: WOW! So many people reviewed for last chapter, so I was simply drowning in good words and compliments and other fun and interesting things! Just...wow...it makes me feel loved!

So, thank you all who reviewed! (I hope that you noted that I responded to all reviews... Just to make you all happy!)

Now...you want a new chapter, right? Well, here it goes!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But, just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Mokuba!

(Mokuba: I have a filthy rich big brother! Give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh, or he'll sue you!

Lawyers: ...-gives Mokuba video games-

Mokuba: ...YAY! –goes of to play games- ) ...perhaps I should pay him better...--;

Pairings: Seth/Jou, Seto/Jou. Jou/?. Bakura/Ryou, Yami/Yugi. Hints of Otogi/Honda.

Warnings: Swearing, tad angst and boy/boy love. (boy/boy love shouldn't even count as a warning, in my opinion...)

Well...that's it! In case you have forgot what happened in the previous chapter, here comes a small resume! Read, enjoy and review people!

**Last chapter...**

"_Well, well, well, is that not a sight for sore eyes...Katsuya?" _

_Jou, recognizing the voice at once, stiffened for a second before turning around towards the voice._

_Amber eyes widened._

_"S-Sam?!"_

**Chapter 9**

**Outside school**

**15:09**

**Normal POV**

All seven boys turned to look at the newcomer; Jou with an almost fearful look, Seto with a risen eyebrow, Seth with wide eyes, Yami and Yugi with worried gazes, Ryou biting his lip and Bakura with a bored look.

Leaning casually against the school's fence, was a man. He looked to be about twenty, thus three years older than Jou, Yugi and Ryou, and two years older than Seto. And about 5000 years younger than Seth, Yami and Bakura.

He was quite a handsome man; he had shoulder long hair, in a copper red colour, and his eyes were pale grey. His hair seemed messy, and looked more like blood in the sun. His face was quite sharp. He was wearing black jeans that clung to his long legs, and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing deeply tanned skin.

A playful smile lingered on his lips, and his eyes sparkled when he looked at Jou. All in all, he looked quite mischievous and playful. But, even though he looked nice, there was an aura around him that made you feel uncomfortable.

"Katsuya, who is this?" Seth asked lowly, and glanced at the blonde.

Jou didn't answer him. His amber eyes were staring at the other boy, still carrying that fleeting, fearful look.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the look disappeared, and he glared at the red haired boy. With determined steps, Jou walked up to the other man, who was just as tall as Seto, thus taller than Jou.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sam?!" Jou growled when he was two feet from the other, accent gone with the wind. His hands were clenched into fists, and his amber eyes were glaring daggers at the other.

The man, obviously named Sam, rose one eyebrow, and chuckled before standing up straight, making him even taller. "Aw, Katsuya...is that really the way to greet an old friend?"

Angrily, Jou glared even harder at the man. "You are no longer considered a friend of mine, Sam! Not after you..." Jou snapped his mouth shut, and closed his eyes tightly. "...just get out of here."

Seth, now worried, turned to Yami and Yugi. The two look-alikes also looked worried, glancing between Sam and Jou. "Pharaoh, who is that guy?" The Priest hissed lowly, not at all liking the way that man looked...he reminded him of someone...

"That's Sam." Yami muttered, glaring at the man. "Jou's ex-boyfriend. He's going to college in town, 20 years old, and..." He paused. "...his and Jou's relationship didn't end well, lets stop at that."

Jealousy of a crazy sort boiled in Seth's blood at hearing this. Katsuya's boyfriend? Sure, ex-boyfriend, but still someone who had been close to Katsuya! Someone who had won a piece of the other's heart! Someone who maybe even still carried that piece of his heart...

"I don't like him." Seth growled.

"Neither do I." Surprisingly, the mutter didn't come from Yami; it came from Yugi. The violet eyed boy was glaring even harder than Yami at the older boy.

Seto, who also had heard what had been said, was now experiencing a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling he had once experienced before. In Kame Game shop, when Seth had kissed Jou. It made his soul burn and his heart clench, and made him think thoughts that was quite disturbing. What thoughts?

"Sam? Ex-boyfriend? ...I don't like him."

"_Stupid guy, smirking like that to my-...I mean, **the** puppy. Not my. The." _

"_He should just go die in a horrible accident." _

"_...why the hell am I thinking this?!" _

Seto glared at the man. It was almost as when he had seen Seth. Just that this time he was certain what he felt towards the other man.

Seto hated him. Not loathed, not disliked. Hated.

Sam frowned at seeing the way Jou had his eyes closed. With a gentle hand, he reached out and touched the other's cheek. "Hey, now...Katsuya, don't be like that..."

"Stop." Jou whispered, and pushed the hand away from his cheek. He opened his eyes, all anger suddenly gone, replaced with a lost look. "Why wouldn't you just go away?" The normally loud, happy and cheeky voice was now confused, upset and ever so soft.

With a sigh, Sam rose his hand and placed it on Jou's cheek again. "Jou, listen..."

"Don't touch me." Jou said lowly, and pushed away the hand again.

"Jou..." Sam put back the hand again.

"I said; don't touch me." The blonde said a little louder, once again pushing away the hand, a little harder.

"Katsuya, please, don't do this..." Once again, the red haired man lifted his hand to Jou's face.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" This time, Jou screamed. The scream was shrill, hurt and scared, more like an animal's cry for help than a human's voice.

Sam let his hand drop to his side, and he watched the blonde with gentle grey eyes. "Katsuya...I'm sorry. Truly, I am. Those things I did in the past..." He sighed deeply. "It's almost been a year...I just want to be close to you again...can't we just move on?"

A sharp sob escaped Jou's throat, but he quickly stopped another once from coming. "No! We can't!" He choked out, and started to shake. "What you did is unforgivable!"

"I know." Sam said softly.

"And you were horrible!"

"I know."

"You hurt me." Jou's voice was no more than a whisper. He was still meeting the other's gaze with his own, amber dark with sadness and some other feeling, a mix between fear and hurt.

"I know." Sam took a step closer, gently putting a hand on Jou's shoulder. "And I am really sorry." The man's voice was pure honesty, and gentle care tinged the words.

This time, Jou didn't push away the other's hand. Instead, he sighed, and turned his gaze to the ground. "...why did you come here?"

Sam smiled slightly, a slanted smile that only shone with care and sweetness. "I wanted to come see you. Is that so bad?"

Bad? No, it was hell.

Jou still remembered when he used to date Sam. They had met in the summer after Battle City, when he was still sensitive about everything that had happened, when his sister had had her operation and once again had moved away to his mother, so far away. After they had saved the world (again), and several of their friends ended up in the hospital or traumatized for life.

When Mai had said she didn't like him more than a friend, when Yami and Bakura had got their own bodies and got together with Yugi and Ryou...when he had been so alone.

It was then Sam came.

_Flashback _

_Jou sat alone on a bench in Domino Park. He had his knees dragged up to his chin, and his chin rested on top of them. A sigh made the hair in front of his eyes blow slightly._

_He hated to be alone. Really much. But, Yugi was with Yami in the game shop, Ryou was with Bakura in their house, doing only God knows what, and Honda was away on a vacation with his family. Leaving Jou all alone, in the summer. Or, to be with Anzu. _

_  
Suddenly, being alone didn't sound so unappealing. _

"_Excuse me, is this seat free?" A deep voice said from above him, and Jou looked up. _

_In front of him stood one of the most good looking men Jou had ever seen. Red hair, grey eyes...gorgeous body...yes, Jou knew by that time that he was at least bisexual. _

_Jou blushed and nodded. "Y-Yeah...i-it is." He put down his knees and rested his feet against the ground. _

_With a smile, the man sat down next to him. Curiously, the man looked at him, seemingly inspecting him. "Hey...I recognize you from somewhere..." He said suddenly. _

_Jou blinked. "Huh? You do? I-I'm sorry, but I don' think I recognize you..." _

_Before Jou could continue, the man smiled and snapped his fingers. "Katsuya Jounouchi! That's who you are, right?" He looked expectantly at Jou, seemingly demanding an answer. _

_Shyly, Jou nodded. _

_The red haired man's smile widened, and his eyes sparkled with satisfaction. "Hah! I knew it. Katsuya Jounouchi, runner up in Duellist Kingdom, fourth place in Battle City, right?" _

_Jou's eyes brightened, and he grinned. Someone knew about that? He was famous!. _

"_Yup! Tha's right...I could have gone to the finals though." Curiously, Jou leaned his head to the side. "You do Magic and Wizards too?" _

_With a laugh, the man shook his head. "God, no. But my little sister just adores them! And you're her idol, she things you're the hottest duellist in the world." He smirked and leaned closer. "And I can suddenly understand why..." _

_Jou blushed deeply. "Um...t-thanks, Mr...?" _

_The other man blinked, before groaning and slapping his forehead. "Ah, I am so rude..." He reached out his hand for Jou to take. "Sam. Sam Lincoln Ikado. My mother's from America, and my father is a Japanese. I study at Domino College, art." _

_Jou smiled and took his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Sam." _

"_Oh no, believe me..." Sam smiled. "...the pleasure is mine." _

_End Flashback_

That was how they first met; thanks to Sam's little sister's idolism of him. After that encounter in the park, Jou had gone to meet Sam almost every day; only friendly talking, sitting in cafés, or merely sitting somewhere watching the summer sky.

After about two weeks of friendly meetings, Sam kissed him.

_Flashback _

_Sam and Jou sat silently next to each other, on a bench, by the sea, having a great view on the setting sun. Somewhere, a seagull shrieked, but so far away that you could only hear it's echo. The sun that set made a wonderful view, many colours erupting around it, in the sea and across the sky._

_"I've always wanted to draw a sunset." Sam mumbled, watching the sunset carefully. "But I'm always afraid that it won't be good enough."_

_Jou smiled, and looked at him. "I'm sure you can do it. You're a great artist, Sam, you know that..."_

_Sam smiled. "It means alot to hear that from you, Katsuya."_

_A soft blush crossed Jou's cheeks, and he turned back to the sunset. It was starting to get dark, but you could still see the sun struggling not to go down, sending a few strong beams of light still, illuminating the sky and sea._

_"It's so beautiful." Jou said softly._

_A low shuffle indicated that Sam had moved next to him. Then, a soft hand grabbed his chin and gently turned Jou's face around. Sam was smiling slightly, eyes sparkling with the last rays of the sun._

_"Not as beautiful as you." The next thing Jou knew, Sam leaned even closer to him, and pressed their lips together. Gentle, but yet demanding, it was still only a closed mouth kiss, only lips upon lips._

_Jou felt himself become very light, and he wrapped one arm around Sam's neck, pulling him closer._

_The sun's last rays disappeared beyond the horizon._

_End Flashback_

That had been Jou's very first kiss. Sixteen years old, and that was his very first kiss. It had been the greatest experience of his life, at that time, and he could still recall every detail of that kiss, how long it had been (34 seconds), what it had tasted like(vanilla ice-cream) and exactly how Sam's lips had felt. (slightly cold, soft and smooth.)

They started dating after that, and Jou couldn't wait to introduce Sam to his friends. When he did, however, they had all been quite against it. Isn't he too old? You don't know him well enough yet. Are you sure he won't try anything? You have to be careful, Jou...

Back then, he had been really angry with his friends for saying such things about Sam.

Now he knew how right they had been...

Jou tore away from Sam, and glared up against him again. "Well, Sam, maybe you didn't think about one thing; I don't want to see you! Get away from me, stay away like you've done for almost a year!" Shaking, Jou pushed Sam away from him. "Just _leave!"_

Hurt could be seen for a second in Sam's eyes, before he sighed and nodded. "Alright, Katsuya. I will leave. But don't trust that I can stay away from you for long..." Sam smiled sadly. "...I love you too much for that." With those last words, Sam walked out from the schoolyard, into a waiting car, a very nice red Cabriolet, and drove away.

Jou stared at the back of the car until it disappeared behind a corner. Then, his shoulders slumped, and he bent down his head. A very low sob was heard, and he shook slightly. "Sam..."

Seth, hating to see Katsuya hurt like that, walked up to him cautiously and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, wincing when he felt him flinch and sob again. "Katsuya...sweet one? Are you alright..."

He barely got to finish that sentence.

With a heart wrenching sob, Jou threw himself into Seth's arms, and cried into his chest. The shaking got worse, and Jou's legs could barely carry him. Luckily, Seth had his arms securely wrapped around Jou, preventing him from falling.

"Sam..." Jou sobbed once again, clenching a fist in Seth's shirt. "Sam...Sam..." He continued to whisper the offending name into Seth's chest, crying all the time.

Deep hate and jealously, rooted in his very soul, started to grow within Seth. That...Sam guy, seemed to have a great deal of space in Jou's heart; he wouldn't cry like this if he didn't. But, what had this guy done that would make Jou be so angry with him, just by seeing him again after such a long time?

That, Seth would find out.

But, first things first; he had to make Jou stop crying. It was killing him inside.

With a gentle sigh, Seth trailed his fingers up and down Jou's tense back, massaging his back, trying to sooth the blonde. "Shh...relax, Katsuya...he's gone now..." He pressed a gentle kiss on top of Jou's head.

"I hate him..." Jou sobbed into Seth's chest, voice muffled.

"Me too." Seth said softly.

Footsteps behind him came closer, and he could soon see Yugi and Ryou standing on Jou's right side. Yugi reached up and petted Jou on the arm. "It's alright, Jou."

"Yeah." Ryou agreed. "It's okay, we won't let him get close to you."

Yami and Bakura soon also walked up to Jou, glancing awkwardly at each other. They weren't really good at soothing people, unless it was their hikaris.

"I can send him to the Shadow Realm, if you want." Yami said, glancing at Yugi for approval of his offer.

"I'll send my Man-eater Bug after him?" If possible, Bakura was even worse at being nice.

Those two sentences was what it took. Jou stopped crying slowly, and soon pulled away from Seth. A sad smile was on his lips, and he laughed slightly. "Nah, i's okay, guys...thanks anyway." He sniffled, and wiped away his tears from his face. "Damn, I hate cryin'..."

A handkerchief was held out to him. It was white, and looked new. Jou blinked, and followed the hand that held out it, finding an arm, and a shoulder...a surprised look was to be seen on Jou's pretty face.

Seto was the one holding out the white piece of cloth towards him. The blue eyes were as cold as ever, but he seemed a bit awkward. "...well, take it, I don't have all day." He muttered, glaring at Jou, but not with the same intensity as he usually did.

With a slight smile, Jou took the offered handkerchief. It was soft, and made of cotton.

"T-Thank you, Kaiba." The blonde dried away the tears from his face, and then held it back towards the CEO.

Seto rolled his eyes, and turned away. "You can keep it, puppy. I have several more." Without further explanation or good byes, Seto left the group, to an awaiting limo.

Jou followed the brunet with his eyes as he left, and then looked down at the wet handkerchief. "...thank you." He said softly, even though Seto had left, and couldn't hear him.

Seth smirked. _"Well done, my reincarnation. I'm starting to think that you might deserve Katsuya." _He paused his thoughts. _"...at least more than that 'Sam' guy." _

Shaking away those thoughts, Seth once more wrapped one arm around Jou. "Come on. We'd better get you home now, Katsuya."

After making their good byes, the gang split up, walking in their respective directions; Seth with one arm around the still shivering Jou, Yami and Yugi, hand in hand, and Bakura and Ryou, hand on ass.

---------

Seto leaned back in his limo, closing his eyes. Exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave, and he groaned when a slight headache started to make itself known. This day had proven to be quite a bad one...

"Where to, Mr. Kaiba?" The driver, Mr. Takao, asked politely while they drove out from the parking lot.

"Kaiba Corp." Seto mumbled, opening his eyes again.

"Yes, sir." The limo intercom was shut off with a slight crackle.

Seto sighed, and opened his briefcase. It would be best to start with his work right now, seeing that he could get home to Mokuba quicker if he did...

With a snap, Seto closed the briefcase and put his laptop in his lap. Opening it, the screen was brought to life at once. _"Welcome, Mr. Kaiba." _Came the metallic voice when he entered the password to his database, and it opened. Normally, he would now have clicked open a window and started working on a new device, or started to type away on codes or contracts.

But, instead, he clicked open his search system, the one he had made during Battle City, with every duellist in whole of the world. During the year, he had updated the system, and could now track down any person on the face of the planet, in despite of if they were a duellist or not.

In the box that was labelled 'search', Seto wrote the name 'Sam'. The next box which said 'country' he choose Japan. The next said 'city/town he wrote 'Domino'. And then finally, 'date of birth', he only chose the year '1986'. Then he pushed 'enter' and waited while the system worked.

Ten minutes later a sign saying 'search complete' popped up, and three names came up on the screen, in alphabetic order. Well, the name 'Sam' wasn't that usual in Japan...

**Sam** Anou. 15-01-86

**Sam**uel Kashiro. 09-07-86.

**Sam **Lincoln Ikado. 05-10-86

Seto smirked. Being a multibillionaire with a search system on every human alive had its peaks.

Quickly, Seto clicked on the first name, and a new window popped up. Upon seeing the picture, Seto closed the window again. Sam had had red hair, that guy had black.

Next name. Seto was once again disappointed; the guy had brown, very icky hair. And he definitely didn't look like that Sam he had just seen...

"_Then, it has to be the next name." _He clicked on the next one.

An image of a smiling Sam, red hair, grey eyes and all the matching facial details appeared on the screen, and a biography appeared beneath it.

Rolling down the screen, Seto started to read.

_Duellist: Negative. _

_Name: Sam Lincoln. _

_Born: 05-10-86, New York, America. _

_Family: Father from Japan, Yoiji Ikado Lincoln, 46, mother from America, Lindsey Ikado, Lincoln, 39, sister Sarah Ikado Lincoln, 12..._

Snorting, Seto skipped down a little on the screen. He didn't care about his family and such. He wanted to know the bad stuff, the juicy details that could destroy ones life, and more facts about him. Scanning the screen with his eyes for a few seconds, he started to read again.

_Being the son of a successful businessman (Yoiji Ikado Lincoln; vice president of Tagami Corporation), money as never been a problem for Sam Lincoln. He has afforded to go to the best schools all of his life._

_Sam Lincoln is now on his second year in Domino College, studying art. Straight A's in all subjects, except Biology, which he has a B+, that does not affect the rest of his grades._

So what if the guy was smart? He must have done something bad in his life...there was _always_ some bad things in everyone's background...

Seto was about to skip far downwards when he suddenly caught sight of a familiar name.

_...and Sam has had numerous girl-, and boyfriends. The longest and most recent relationship lasted for three months, with a boy named Katsuya Jounouchi. The relationship came to a sudden end in August fifth 2005._

There, the paragraph ended. No explanation. No further details.

Seto scowled.

He really needed to update this program.

Smirking, Seto continued downwards to the most exciting paragraph of all; criminal records. They were always such a pleasure to read...

The smirk dropped at once.

_Criminal record; No offences_.

Seto blinked once. Twice. Three times.

And angry growl escaped him, and he clicked down the search program. No criminal records? That was impossible! Everyone had at least one thing there; speeding tickets, forgetting to pick up after your dog in the park...anything!

If not this 'Sam Lincoln' was a spot free citizen, a great driver and had no dog.

Scowling, Seto clicked up a new page. One that said POLICE with capital letters. There had to be something his search program had missed. And he would find it.

There was no way that this 'Sam Lincoln' was so perfect.

**End Chapter! **

...well...-glances around herself- ...-wails- I know! This chapter was way short, and it wasn't even good! It was so much explaining, and not anything fun at all! –wails again-

...yeah, I'm fine now...but please, don't hate me! This chapter wasn't good...-pouts- I'll try harder on the next one, okay?

Now you all got to know who 'Sam' is! So, what did you think? Tell me in your review, please!

And, small note from last chapter; the Jou-glomps-Seto idea wasn't mine. Mandapandabug (the saint of gave me the idea! Thank you, sweety! –throws her chocolate- She should have all the credit!

Now...you all know what to do! –looks pointedly at the review-button-

See you in the next chapter!

-The Blonde Midget


	10. Truths And Hurt

Alright, new chappie coming up! 

-cheers!-

...yeah, anyway...thanks everyone who reviewed; I think I replied to everyone! And, to those I didn't, it must have been because you were anonymous...I can't reply to those...sorry...-bows-

But I still appreciated them! Thank you all that reviewed!

Now, as many of you must have noticed, last chapter wasn't that good...not suckish, but not one of my best. So, I hope that you all will like this chapter better! I'm trying to get some humour back, but it has to be a little bit serious now...love is a serious matter, mind you!

Is there anything more pointless I need to say? ...nope, it doesn't seem like that! So, lets get starting on the chapter!

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, lo and behold. But, just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Jou! (Jou: Alright, ya big lawyer guys! Give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-OH, or I'll...hey is that food?! –jumps off to eat-

Lawyers: ...-sweatdrops-) ...-sigh- I knew I should have fed him earlier...

--;

Pairings: Seto/Jou, Seth/Jou. Jou/?. Bakura/Ryou, Yami/Yugi, hints of Honda/Otogi. Sam/Jou.

Warnings: Boy/Boy love, hints of 'bad' stuff and some swearing. Also, overused plot ideas and flashbacks! Anzu bashing!

Well, that's all I need to say! See you at the end of the chapter! Now, read, enjoy and review at the end! (don't worry, I'll remind you all later as well...)

Chapter 10 

**Jou's house**

**18:00**

**Normal POV **

"Are you sure you're okay, Katsuya?" Seth asked for the, possibly, seventeenth time. The blue eyes were really worried when he watched the other boy.

Jou, who sat on his couch, currently watching '_The Simpson's'_, rolled his eyes, and nodded. "Yes, mum, I am fine..." The blonde paused, and fiddled with the remote he held in his hand. "...I was jus' surprised to see Sam...it has been almost a year since I last saw him..." With every word, Jou's voice faded until it fell completely silent.

Eyes still shining with worry, Seth sat down next to Jou, holding out a cup with warm coco, which Jou accepted with a low 'thank you'. "Well, you just seemed to upset...I...what did he do to you that shook you up so much?"

Jou tensed, before sighing. "Somethin' I'd rather not talk about." The tone of his voice clearly said that this was the end of the discussion.

But, seeing that Seth was a stubborn son of a bitch, he just wouldn't drop the subject that easy.

Gently, Seth took the cup from Jou, and sat it down on the small table in front of him, along with his own. Then he grasped both Jou's hands in his own. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted that the blonde's hands were shaking slightly.

"It won't stop hurting just because you ignore the pain." Seth said softly, looking deep into the amber eyes that he always had loved. "Talk to me. Please, Katsuya? It might feel better if you talk about it."

Seth had a strange sense of deja vu at the moment. He had gone through this one other time...a long time ago...

_Flashback (A/N: Don't kill me, I like writing these!) _

_It was late, the sun had long ago set behind the dynes of the desert, and the moon was high on the starlit sky. _

_Sitting in the palace garden was a blonde slave all alone. He was sitting by a pond on the dirty ground, head leaned against his knees, shaking with sobs, tears wetting his simple white robes. White robes dirtied with soil, blood and some other fluid. _

_Steps walked into the garden, and a gentle voice called out. "Katsuya? Love, are you out here?" _

_Katsuya flinched at hearing the voice, quickly snapping his head up. Amber eyes were filled with fear and tears. Frantically, he tried to find somewhere to hide, but already knew that it was too late. _

_Seth walked out from the shadows of a tree, only wearing a short tunic over his hips and a warm cloak hanging over his shoulder and back. At seeing Katsuya sit in the moonlight, he smiled, relief clearly visible in his eyes. _

"_There you are, Katsuya. Where have you been, I've been looking for you for hours! I've been so worried..." Seth went silent as he took in the boy's appearance; the soiled clothes, his tearstained face and hurt eyes, and the bruises on his left cheek, upper arms and wrists. _

_The blue eyes narrowed and went from warm sky blue to icy, hard sapphire. _

_With three long steps, he was by Katsuya's side, sitting down next to him. With a not too gentle hand, he pulled the boy closer to him by his bruised chin, inspecting his face. _

"_Who did this to you?" His voice was cold, angry and hateful. A tone that Katsuya had never heard before from his beloved master. It scared him tremendously; Katsuya knew how powerful and fearsome his master could be when angered. _

_Jono whimpered and tried to escape the other's scornful gaze. "N-No one, master. I-I just...I just fell...i-in the soil of the Nile's plantations..." The blonde sobbed. "I'm s-sorry, master, I won't d-do it again!" _

_Seth scowled. "I know the smell of the Niles soil, Katsuya. And I can assure you..." He motioned to Katsuya's clothes. "...that's not even near how it smells." _

_A choked sob escaped Katsuya's throat, and he looked away. "...I'm sorry..." He whispered again. "...they wouldn't let me go..." _

_Seth's face hardened even more, and he turned Jono's face towards him again. "Who?" His voice was stern, colder than ever. It took only one second before Katsuya started to stutter and hiccup out his story. _

"_...t-the temple guards...I-I went to your temple earlier today...to visit you...b-but when I was about to enter...they g-grabbed me and...and..." A sob escaped Katsuya once more, and he tore his face away from Seth to hide it in his hands. "...they called me things, horrible things...and...they beat me...and..." Jono's voice was as soft as the wind when he said the last words. "...they used me." _

_If one had thought that Seth had looked angry earlier, they just found out that it wasn't even close to how angry he could become. Electrical sparks danced around him, and a dark and murderous look appeared in his face. _

"_I will kill them." The statement was so dark and cold that it made Katsuya shake even more. _

"_Seth..." Jono looked up hesitantly at Seth, flinching when he saw the horrible scowl on his lover's face. Slowly, cautiously, Katsuya placed a gentle hand on the brunet's shoulder. _

"_D-Death will not solve anything..." _

"_They hurt you." Seth muttered, getting to his feet. "So I will hurt them." _

_A look of admiration crossed Jono's face, before he stood too, his legs shaking slightly. "No. Stay with me...don't leave me, Seth..." Jono wrapped his arms around Seth's waist, and leaned his head against the other's back. "I love you so much, Seth..." _

_The hard and hateful look in Seth's eyes finally disappeared, and he turned around to face his lover. A smile danced on his lips before he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on Katsuya's cheek, soothing an aching bruise. _

"_I love you too, nefer." (NeferBeautiful in Egyptian. ...I think...) _

_End Flashback_

"Tell me..." Seth said calmly, still looking deep into Jou's eyes.

Jou's eyes started to water up again. "...he hurt me." He finally said softly, looking away from Seth, pulling his hands free. "Sam hurt me a great lot last summer...probably more than he'll ever know."

Annoyed, Seth pulled back Katsuya's face to him. "I have understood that. But what exactly did he do to you-"

"Sam tried to get...intimate wit' me against my will, okay?!" Jou, finally being pushed over his edge, yelled at Seth, amber eyes flashing. When he understood that he had told Seth about...the incident, he immediately closed his mouth and looked away.

Seth blinked confusedly for a second, not quite understanding what Jou meant. Only for a second.

The blue eyes flared for a second before turning colder than ice. "...he tried to rape you?"

A slight blush appeared on Jou's cheeks when he nodded, biting his lip to keep in a sob. It was still so clear...that day...

Sam had invited him to his house, and being the innocent Jou he was, he went there without any questions. Big mistake.

At first, Sam had been really kind, holding him close while they watched a movie in his bedroom, on his bed. Then he had started to kiss his neck, making love bites all the way on it's back. At first, Jou had relaxed against him, not finding it strange at all, only blissful and nice.

When Sam's hands started to travel downwards on his body, however, Jou thought it had gone all too far, so he had told the other to stop and tried to push him off. After all, Jou was a virgin, and only sixteen years old. Far too young to lose it.

But Sam had ignored his protests, and had just continued. When he once again tried to make him stop, the other had hissed 'shut up, whore' into his ear, before pushing him down underneath him to cover his body completely. The smell of vanilla and the other's arousal made it's way to Jou's nose. There was no doubt in Jou's mind about what Sam was about to do.

It was then fear overwhelmed Jou, and took over his body.

He slammed his knee hard against a place where no man should be kneed. Then he ran for it, running home to Yugi and spending the night there, informing the other that he and Sam was history. But he didn't explain anything else. He had never done.

Up until now.

"I'll kill him."

Jou blinked, and stared at Seth.

The brunet was staring out in front of himself, glaring at nothing in particular. If someone or something (Anzu) had stood in the way of his glare just then, they would have been turned into bacon before you can say 'yummy, bacon and eggs, English breakfast!'

"Seth...you can't do tha'..." Jou said hesitantly.

Seth's eyes didn't soften at all; his glare remained steady. "For you, I can. For you, and Jono, I'd do anything." Seth paused, before glancing at the blonde for a second. "...anything to make you happy."

Jou blinked. Then a small blush started to form on his cheeks. The former High Priest had said these words with such honesty...no one had ever cared about him in this way. Sure, Yugi and Honda and the others were kind and always meant for his best...but Seth...Jou knew that the brunet genuinely cared for him.

Seth would really do anything for him.

A slight smile started to tug on the blonde's lips, and he wrapped his arms around Seth's shoulder in a loose hug. "You're one of my best friends ever, Seth." He mumbled quietly against Seth's shoulder he was leaning on.

Seth's eyes softened when he glanced at the blonde. "And you are mine, Katsuya."

--------

**Next day**

**School**

**08:45**

**Normal POV**

"...and when you use the subtraction sign on this side of the equal sign, we put a..." The math teacher droned on, explaining all the wonderful ways of solving equations.

Once again, yes, sarcasm is one of my best friends.

Jou was taking notes in his math book quietly, and tried to listen to the teacher's constant talking.

The only problem was that he didn't understand a single thing that she was saying. No one had told him he needed to know Greek to take math...Kaiba was so much better at explaining...and he could have ask him later...if not...

Jou glanced at the empty desk to the right of him.

Kaiba weren't there. Which was strange. He always came to school, regardless of weather, occasion, location, if he was sick or the world was ending.

...well, they had yet to see if he would come to school even if the world was ending...but Jou was quite positive that he would.

Nothing could stop the CEO of Kaiba Corporation from attending school. Maybe he was late?

Jou snorted on the inside of his mind. Kaiba, late for school, yeah right. Like that would ever happen...

The sound of a door opening interrupted his thoughts, and made him look up from his notes.

Standing in the doorway was Seto Kaiba. CEO of Kaiba Corp. Dressed in his usual school uniform, buttoned all the way up, making him look like a nerd. A very hot and sexy nerd with a great body. A nerd that could kill you by only looking at you if you called him a nerd.

Everyone now expected him to make a smart and highly acceptable excuse for being late. Like, Mokuba overslept and Seto had to drive him to school himself, that his limo had broke down or simply that pink, fluffy pandas had tried to abduct him to make him their emperor.

Alas, that was not what happened.

"I'm sorry I was late." Seto said smoothly, before walking down the aisle, setting down his briefcase next to him before seating himself in his chair.

Every student's yaws dropped to the floor.

Seto Kaiba...late for school?! Something must really be wrong with the world. There had to be some horrible villain who had done something to the CEO's brain to make him be actually _late_ for something...and admit it!

Everyone turned to Bakura with suspicious looks.

The former King of Thieves blinked, and then glared at everyone as if to say 'well, it wasn't _my _fault!'

The teacher, completely oblivious to everyone's glaring at Bakura, huffed, and put her hands on her thin hips. "Mr. Kaiba, you can not possibly think that you can walk into the classroom, twenty minutes late, and just get away that easy..."

Seto merely looked up and handled her with the patented Kaiba-glare.

"...b-but seeing that it is your first offence, we'll just ignore that." The teacher stuttered, before turning back to the blackboard. (which was green; feel the irony.)

Seto smirked, a smirk that said 'good job, servant, obey me', before he opened his math book, and started working.

Jou almost felt bad for the teacher. It wasn't that nice to be handled with 'the-Seto-Kaiba-glare', that made anyone want to hide in a corner, crying their pathetic little hearts out. Or, in extreme cases, wet themselves. (they all still remembered that poor substitute the year before. Poor girl.)

"Mr. Jounouchi!" The teacher shrieked, shaking him out of his pitying of the teachers, and glared at him. "Pay attention, or do I have to give you a detention?!"

Keyword: almost felt bad for the teacher.

"Y-Yes, teacher, no teacher..." Jou mumbled, bowing his head down in apology.

With a 'hmmph'-ing sound, the teacher turned back to the green blackboard and started to angrily write down a few more calculations.

Sighing deeply, Jou started taking notes again, still not understanding a single thing that the teacher said. Damned boring woman...

And, so, the woman's droning about math thingies that no one really cared about went on. However, she failed to notice that everyone's attention was diverted from her to a certain brown-haired CEO with blue eyes that would make any fangirl drool in appreciation.

Seto, who was scribbling down the answers to the math problems almost automatically, ignored the strange looks he was getting from the other students. They could stare all they wanted; that was their problem, not his.

Shifting in his seat slightly, Seto wrote down another answer.

The reason he had been late hadn't been a very extravagant one. It wasn't because his corporation was about to get taken over by the Big 5 again, and it wasn't because Mokuba was being kidnapped again. Neither was it because that some super villain was trying to take over the world with magic again. (not that he believed in magic, of course not. Silly thing.)

No, the reason had been much more simple.

He, Seto Kaiba, CEO of the multibillion company Kaiba Corporation, had overslept.

Glaring at his paper, Seto wrote down another answer.

Yes, something silly like that had just ruined his perfect attendance record. And, it wasn't his fault either! It was that stupid Sam Ikado Lincoln's fault!

Until 03:30 last night, Seto had been up trying to find some information about that idiot. Some bad and juicy stuff. But, even after making several hackings into police, FBI, CSI and even the MI5 archives, Seto hadn't found anything bad about that man! Not even some delayed dry cleaning bill! Nothing!

Not even he himself had such a spot free past. It wasn't possible that Sam could be that perfect!

Seto haltered in his writing.

...could it?

---------

**After school...**

**15:00**

The gang was walking out of the school, talking and laughing. Or, in Bakura's and Yami's cases; arguing so loudly that they could wake the dead.

What had started the fight, you ask?

How the hell should _I_ know, I'm only the author!

"...and if you don't watch it, Tomb Robber, I will tie your tongue into such a tight knot that you'll never be able to talk again!" Yami roared, glaring daggers and various other sharp objects on Bakura.

Bakura merely smirked. "What? Can't handle the truth, Pharaoh? We all know that you were the biggest pushover in all of Egypt...even the snakes had a stronger backbone than you!"

Yami was about to make a retort, but instead closed his mouth and looked thoughtful.

"...hey, snakes don't have backbones, do they?"

The smirk on Bakura's lips grew bigger.

"...exactly my point."

"...oh, just you wait until I can lay my hands on you, Bakura-" Yami was interrupted when Jou suddenly gasped, shutting off everyone's talking(or arguing.)

Yugi blinked, and looked up at his friend. Jou was staring out in front of himself, staring at something ahead of him. "Jou-kun? Are you okay?"

Jou didn't avert his gaze. "...Sam...h-he's standing over there..." Fear had unbidden crawled into Jou's voice when he whispered this.

And, in truth. Standing leaned against his parked Cabriolet outside the school, was Sam. Today, he was wearing his college uniform; a pair of black slacks, and a light grey sweater with a white shirt under, the collar of the shirt carefully tucked outside the sweater's collar. He had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, just like the earlier day, just to show off his tanned skin. His red hair was today pulled back into a short ponytail.

With a frown, Yugi glanced from Sam to Jou. "Well...we could always go around the back of the school..."

Suddenly, Jou seemed to pull out of his stunned state, and anger pooled within his amber eyes. "How dare he?" He hissed, voice no where near his usual carefree and happy tone.

"Huh?" Ryou blinked confusedly.

"How dare he come back here, again, trying to see me?!" Jou's face was turning red from his intense anger. "I told him to stay away from me!" Before anyone could stop him, Jou stalked up towards Sam.

"Oh, no..." Yugi mumbled, worry clearly evident in his voice.

"This is not good..." Ryou whispered, biting his lower lip.

"No...in truth, it is not." Seth growled, the anger he repressed from yesterday flowing out freely.

"Indeed." Bakura said, looking at Sam, a bored look on his face. Then he wrapped one arm around his hikari, face lightning up happily. "So, who's up for some pizza?!"

Everyone, except Ryou, fell over, anime style.

"Bakura!" Ryou groaned and slapped his boyfriends arm away from around his waist.

--------

"_I can't believe this..." _Jou growled within his mind, while stomping up towards Sam, who's face seemed to lighten up when he saw him. _"I haven't had to see this guy in a year, and now I have seen him twice in two days?! God, why do you hate me so much?!" _

Finally, he was standing only a two yards from Sam. He could now clearly see the happy smile that was playing on Sam's lips, and the sparkle in his eyes. A sparkle he had loved to bring out the last summer...

Shaking away those thoughts, Jou glared at the other man. "What. The Hell. Are you doing here?! You bastard, I told you to stay away from me!" Jou ground out, feeling red hot anger flare within him.

The anger only got worse when Sam just continued to smile, in a teasing way. "Yes, Katsuya, I know you said so. But I just simply had to come here anyway."

Jou now glared so hard that it was a surprise that Sam wasn't dead yet; the glare was compact enough to knock out an elephant.

"WHY?!" He screamed. In a sudden rush of emotions, Jou rushed the two last feet and grabbed the smiling man's collar. His knuckles turned white due to the tight grip he held.

Somehow, Sam managed to keep the same smile as before. With gentle hands, he pried Jou's fingers off his collar, and then held his hands in his. Eyes sparkling, he leaned closer to Jou, leaning down to his ear.

"I miss you, Katsuya. I miss the way you used to smile to me, the way you laugh and the way your eyes twinkle with joy..." A sigh near his ear made Jou shiver. "...come back to me, love. I need you back..."

"Sam..." Jou whimpered, anger suddenly washing off him, making him feel weak and drained. His knees felt like rubber, and was about to buckle underneath him. Sam's scent, gentle vanilla, made his senses melt like it always had before...

"_Someone...anyone...make it stop..." _Was the only thought within Jou's hazy mind, as he felt Sam's hands travel down from his hands to his thin wrists.

"Excuse me, but I believe that you're standing in my way." A very cold voice said, with a tone of a person who knew that he was superior. Jou could finally pull away slightly from Sam, and turn around to see who that had saved him.

Seto Kaiba was standing only one yard away from them, seemingly trying to turn Sam into ash using only his glare. Blue eyes, with specs of green as Jou knew, seemed to burn with unknown force, like lightning were harbouring in them.

Sam rose one eyebrow at Seto. "Standing in your way? The gates are quite wide enough to fit the three of us, with plenty of space left." He glanced at the gates before turning back to the CEO. "But perhaps they are not wide enough for your ego..."

Ignoring the obvious insult(though Seto's eyebrow did twitch with annoyance), Seto smirked and took a step closer. "Oh no, not in the way of the gates...you're blocking my way to Jounouchi."

Jou's mouth fell open with surprise.

Sam flinched, and then looked down at Jou again, who was still trying to get his jaw back into it's right place, and looking dignified in the same time. "Katsuya? You know this guy?"

Hesitating slightly, Jou nodded shyly. "Y-Yes...this is Seto Kaiba...h-he's in the same class as me..." Somewhere along that sentence, Jou had lost his voice, and fell silent at the word 'me'. Shuffling his feet, Jou looked down at the ground, trying desperately to ignore the warm vanilla smell that whispered against his nose.

"Seto Kaiba?" Sam blinked. "Kaiba as in Kaiba Corporation?"

"How many other Kaibas have you heard of?" Seto asked, once again with a superior tone to his voice.

For the first time, Sam's eyes too on a harder shade of grey, and he glared forcefully at Seto. Though, the brunet wasn't affected much; he merely quirked an eyebrow.

"So. You're the rich punk that my father tried to make business with?" Grey eyes scanned him. "Aren't you a bit young to run a whole corporation?"

"Young, perhaps, but a better businessman that your father ever can hope to be." Seto snapped, eyes flaring for a second; a response that showed that he was tired of hearing the same old question all the time.

"Why, you-" Sam took one step closer to Seto, clearly intending to do some damage to the other man.

A hand took hold of his right arm, and held him back slightly. "Sam, stop it! Ya have no right to come here and insult my friends and try to hurt them!" Jou cried, glaring at Sam when he turned his head to look at him. "I want ya to leave, right now! And fuckin' _stay away_ this time!"

With a sad sigh, Sam turned fully to Jou. "Alright, fine. But, remember this, Katsuya..." Sam bent down to be able to look Jou straight in the eye. A small smirk played on his lips when a blush formed on Jou's cheeks, and an amused glint danced in his eyes. "...I will always come back to you."

Straightening his back, Sam turned to Seto, grey and blue eyes clashing. "By the way...my father will invite you to a business dinner tomorrow night. He really hopes you will attend."

One could clearly hear a silently added; 'but I don't, so go fuck yourself.'

Seto smirked. "He'd better be careful; I just might come."

And, of course, he added a silent; 'so you'd better watch out, or I'll punch your lights out.'

Silent sentences. Wonderful, aren't they?

"Wonderful." Sam spat out, before opening his car door and leaving, a cloud of smoke the only proof that he had even been there.

I won't even tell you what the silent sentence said. This story _is_ only T-rated after all.

Sending one last glare at the vanishing car, Seto turned to Jou. His blue eyes softened by a fraction, as he watched the blonde stare at the ground, tears still slightly dancing behind his amber eyes.

"...are you okay?" Seto asked after a few awkward silent seconds.

"...yeah." Jou's voice was light, almost silent.

"Good."

The awkward silence lasted for another few seconds, until a rush of feet was heard running towards them. A chorused cry of 'Jou!' made both Seto and Jou look in the direction of the voices.

Seth, Yami, Yugi, Ryou and Bakura was running towards them. Or, well, Seth ran, Yugi and Ryou jogged, and Yami and Bakura was slowly striding towards them, being all too cool and awesome to run in such an undignified way.

At seeing the whole nerd squad running towards them, Seto turned away and in the same time brushed his and Jou's shoulder together.

"And that's my cue for leaving. Later, pup." He took a step towards his awaiting limo.

A gentle hand grabbed his arm, and made him stop. Confusion coursing through his body, Seto turned around.

Jou was smiling slightly towards him, amber eyes looking at him in a thankful way. Amber eyes that was very close. Far too close.

"Thank you, Kaiba." The blonde said softly. And then he did something that shocked the CEO of Kaiba Corp to his very core.

Jou leaned up on his tip toes, and pressed a gentle kiss on Seto's cheek.

The kiss lasted only for a second, and was merely a brush of skin on skin. A brush to light that it was almost not felt. Nonetheless, it sent electrical jolts through the CEO's entire body, starting by the edges of his hair and ended at the nails of his toes. Taking a detour to his cold heart and to his stomach, making them shiver.

Then it was over. The lips were gone, Jou let go of his arm, and took a step away from him. A blush was lightly colouring his cheeks, and the amber eyes were once again aimed to the ground. Though, this time they were trying to hide the smile that was playing on his face.

"...thanks again." Was the soft whisper, and then Jou turned away and walked towards his friends.

Who now stood frozen, staring at them, eyes wide with shock, staring from Jou to Seto, and back again. Seth, however, was instead glaring heatedly towards the CEO, and seemingly about to take a step in his direction.

Quickly turning away, Seto walked to his limo, opened the door and took his seat before throwing it shut.

"Where to, Mr. Kaiba?" The driver asked through the intercom.

"Anywhere, just drive." Seto growled, raising the black glass that shielded him from the driver's curious gaze.

"Err...yes, sir." The driver's voice answered quickly, before closing the intercom and driving off into the busy streets.

Not sparing one second, Seto opened his briefcase to pull out his laptop. With a snap, he opened it and started to type away, forming programming codes, looking through contracts, and looking over blueprints of new inventions.

After about five minutes, the typing haltered.

Seto slowly rose one hand to his cheek, the one that just a few minutes ago had been grazed with the soft touch of Jou's lips.

It was still there. The gentle touch, the warmth and the electrical jolts. They were just weaker, and struggled to make themselves known. Smooth and rose petal soft lips that had brushed against his cheek. A kiss.

A pale blush was still there too. Another proof of what that had just happened had indeed happened. All these things, he could accept; it was the body's natural reaction after such a shocking and unexpected event.

The matter that his heart longed for another skin against skin encounter was the thing that he simply couldn't accept.

A deep sigh echoed through the car.

"Damn, mutt." Seto muttered. "You're making me think too much again."

**End Chapter**

...so? Was it any good? ...

...YAY! –jumps around- I made Jou kiss Seto! Perhaps only on the cheek, but it's still a start! YAY! –cheers-

...well, at least that made me happy...was it a bit fast passed perhaps, or very OOC? Too soon for a kiss? ...well, who cares! I though the kiss was fitting there! Those two needs a little cute fluff! Plus, this story must proceed a little bit faster now...I won't make it more than a 20 chapter story...

Next chapter will get a little more serious, and a sudden twist will come to the story! Just to warn you all!

Anyway, now that I'm done with the chapter...it's time for you to review! Give me a piece of your minds! I need your views on how the story progresses! I'll reply everyone who's not anonymous, or leaves an e-mail address for me to send a message to! Promise!

Well, that's enough of my rambling...review, and I'll see you the next chapter! –throws out chocolate for inspiration for your review!-

-The Blonde Midget


	11. Evil Awakened

HIYAS:D 

Now, my great reviewers and readers whom I love with all my heart, I shall provide you with a new chapter! And I won't make a silly too long pre-note; no, I will let you read very soon! But first:

Thanks to all of you who reviewed! You totally made my day every time that I found a new review waiting for me! YAY! –glomps- I LOVE YOU ALL!

Second thing; -throws on a Santa costume- MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YA'LL! o o o

That said and done, I'll move on...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh (yet). But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Isis!

(Isis: I foresee, with my awesome powers of foresight, that you will give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh! –the Tawk glows dangerously.

Lawyers: ...-shrugs and goes off to drink coffee-) ...-sigh- Somehow, I knew that wasn't going to work...-pouts-

Pairings: Seth/Jou Seto/Jou. Jou/?. Slight Bakura/Ryou, Yami/Yugi and Sam(OC)/Jou. Hints later of Honda/Otogi.

Warnings: Boy/Boy love, slightly rapish stuff (nothing serious, not all the way.) Anzu bashing and randomness!

That's all I need to say! Peace out, and I'll see you at the bottom notes! Read and enjoy, folks!

Chapter 11 Normal POV

Jou swallowed deeply at seeing the strange looks his friends were giving him.

They were all now seated in Kame Game Shop. All, being Bakura, Ryou, Seth, Yami, Yugi (that Yami and Yugi were there weren't such a surprise; they lived there after all...) and Honda.

Ever since they came back from school, they had all been looking at him strangely.

Bakura had been smirking in a creepy way, clearly showing that, whatever he was thinking about, it wasn't something you'd want to know. If you weren't really perverted. Or stupid. Or both of the previous options.

Ryou was twitching every now and then (probably because the wicked thoughts Bakura had and that he could hear very clearly –poor thing-), and his brown eyes were showing curiosity and wonder.

Seth's eyes were torn between anger, mischief, jealousy and slight sadness, while he gazed upon Jou. His lips were drawn into a tight line, making him look very serious. And making it obvious that you really shouldn't get on his nerves right then.

Yami looked like he didn't know whether to smirk or look worried. So he did both; a smirk was tugging at his lips, and a worried look had settled into his eyes. Which, needless to say, made him look slightly weird. (much like one would look after one Coca-Cola Light too many.)

Yugi looked curious, like Ryou, but his eyes also shone of innocence. A look of innocence which was ruined by the knowing smile that was pulling at his lips.

Honda merely looked confused, glancing from one teen to the other. He had come along after school, meeting them at the game shop. He had no idea of the thing that had happened earlier. Thus, he was ignorant and innocent. This far, anyway.

"Well." Seth suddenly stated, breaking the tense silence. His voice was serious, a little sour and quite jealous. "Maybe we should discuss what just happened earlier?"

"What are you guys on?" Honda asked, scratching the back of his neck, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Did I miss something?"

"Oh, no." Bakura said with a sing-song voice. "Not much...we just met Jou's old flame, Sam, school lunch tried to bite my hikari, Jou kissed Kaiba...otherwise, you haven't missed a thing!" The smirk on Bakura's lips was so wide that his head could have split.

Silence fell for a few seconds, under which Jou suddenly became very red, Honda's eyebrows were up under his hair, the hikaris were trying to keep down their smiles, Bakura was smirking still and Yami was glaring disapprovingly at the Tomb Robber to make him stop smirking, only making Bakura smirk even wider to annoy the former Pharaoh.

Seth merely looked pissed.

For another few moments, the silence was complete.

That was, until a dull thud broke the silence.

The thud was then followed by a few seconds of stunned silence.

"...err...guys, I think Honda fainted..." Jou muttered, voice balancing between worry and amusement. (the later side was winning.)

Indeed. Honda Hiroto, tough, manly and brave guy and only afraid of snakes, had just dropped off his chair in a dead faint. The shock had been too much for the poor guy. But, before you are all worried, let me calm you.

The floor was unharmed.

"...well, anyway." Seth said, turning back from the fainted boy, ignoring him completely. His piercing blue gaze fixed upon Jou. "Would you like to explain what just happened earlier?"

"...would you all drop it if I said no?" Jou asked hopefully.

The gazes his friends sent him shot down that hope at once.

With a soft sigh, Jou looked down at the table. "Well...the thing tha' happened was...um...I was just...I wanted to say thank you to Kaiba...yeah, tha's it! I wanted to say thank you!" Jou smiled happily at finding such a great excuse for his actions! No one could argue against that!

"...so you kissed him?" Yugi said disbelievingly.

...at hearing his action spoken out loud, Jou suddenly found his great excuse not being so great anymore.

Blushing madly, Jou nodded. "I-It just seemed like the best thing to do! I was grateful! And confused! My mind wasn' workin' properly!"

Bakura snorted. "Like it ever doe-OW! Ryou, what the hell?!" The former King of thieves turned to glare at his hikari, who obviously had slapped him on the head. Hard.

Said hikari merely gave him a disapproving glare, clearly stating that a certain Tomb Robber was sleeping on the couch later that night.

"Jou..." Yugi said timidly, and leaned his head to the side in a very curious manner. "...I'm sorry to ask, but...could there maybe a slightly different reason that you kissed Kaiba?"

"Huh?" Jou blinked. "Like...that I was temporarily mad?"

"Err...no..." The spiky haired teen suddenly seemed to grow slightly uncomfortable. "I mean...you and Kaiba have been getting along rather well lately. Like, he helped you with the math..."

"Yeah...?" Jou became increasingly confused.

"And, he gave you his handkerchief when you were crying yesterday..." Ryou said, understanding where Yugi were going with his statement.

Nodding, Jou's hand went to his right pocket and pulled out the handkerchief. It looked newly washed, and was white and neat. "Yup! Let me keep it too."

Everyone stared at the handkerchief with wide eyes for a moment.

"...you...carry it with you?" Seth asked incredulously, slowly turning his intense blue gaze to Jou.

Slightly uncomfortable, the blonde nodded. "Y-Yeah...y-ya never know when ya need a handkerchief!"

"..."

"...anyway." Yugi cleared his throat to get rid of the silence that had followed. "And...Kaiba helped you when you fainted in the water palace..."

"Right after you two were about to screw in the sauna. Completely stealing mine and hikari's idea by the way..." Bakura added happily, also wanting to join in the conversation.

Obviously, Ryou didn't find that statement so fitting. Once again, the Tomb Robber gave a pained groan, as Ryou pushed him out of his chair and onto the floor, handing him a glare clearly stating that he should shut up right about then. Which he did , surprisingly enough.

After all; he wanted to get some this month.

Jou's cheeks bloomed red as he looked down on the handkerchief tightly clenched in his hand. "W-We weren't doin' anythin'...I jus' fainted..." His voice was weak and faint, sounding quite much like a hurt puppy.

"We know, Jou." Yugi said, soothingly patting his hand with a smile. Then the small teen got a serious look on his face again. "Well, Jou...what we're saying is that you...maybe..." Yugi looked at Ryou, silently asking him to finish the sentence.

Ryou looked back, hesitating slightly, and then turned to Jou, a slight blush on his pale cheeks. "That you maybe...like Kaiba...a little bit more than before..." Pause.

"...romantically."

Silence followed the statement again. A silence so complete and compact that an elephant could have danced on it.

And then, there was no more silence.

"WHAT?!" Squeaked Jou, amber eyes wide with horror.

"WHAT?!" Seth boomed out, blue eyes narrowed in anger.

"WHAT?!" Yami screamed too, only to not be left out of the discussion.

"Tha's just...NO!" Jou managed to get out, a blush seemingly tattooed to his face by then. "I do not like Kaiba in tha' way! He's just...a...err...guy tha'...uh..." The blonde fought to find the words.

"...that you find attractive?" Ryou added helpfully. And a little evilly too, but no one noticed that.

"Yeah, exact-" At realising what he had almost agreed to, Jou turned a slight shade of green under all the red. "NO! I don' find him attractive! He's just...just..." Jou paused, and then looked down into his lap, and the handkerchief. Twisting it in his hands, Jou whispered. "...I don't know...I don't know what I mean..."

The others remained silent, watching the thinking blonde seriously and sympathetically.

What Jou just had said was completely true. He had no idea what he felt. Not love, that wasn't possible; after all, he didn't know the CEO well enough for such a feeling. 'Like' then? It...just didn't seem fitting either.

Jou thought Seto was hot, hell, there was no denying that. The man had enough fangirls to prove that he was one good looking guy. And he was rich as stinking hell. And had a personality problem called 'cold-serious-businessman-that-can-kill-you-with-one-glare, that seemed to attract even more people to him.

But...under all that...Jou knew there was something more. Seto could care. Mokuba was enough to prove that. Beside from him, Seto cared about other people too. For example, he donated money to every children home he came across, gave money to poor people when no one saw, and donated even more money to children hospital and science for diseases.

And...Seto actually cared for him a little. The handkerchief twisted in his hands proved that. Plus, the brunet had helped him away from Sam's clutches earlier that day...making the other let go of him, and helping him. That he hadn't punched Jou's lights out for kissing his cheek proved something too...

The blush on Jou's cheeks got, if possible, darker.

The bus trip...when Jou had slept on Seto's shoulder, the CEO hadn't pushed him away, or yelled at him. He had simply let him sleep. And played with his hair, and made him feel safe.

In the water palace, Seto had actually saved him from the crazed fangirls too. He could easily have left him behind to get crushed under the stampeding girls' feet. But instead, the brunet had dragged him along to hide with him. And, as Ryou had told him later, Kaiba had actually carried him to the teacher after he had fainted.

Yes. There was certainly many more sides to Seto Kaiba than the cold hearted bastardise businessman.

But, what did Jou feel for him?

Abruptly, Jou stood. His head was bent down, and he refused to look at his friends.

"Guys...I'm sorry, but I gotta go...walk a little...see you guys tomorrow, see ya later Seth, ya know where the key is...bye." With that, Jou rushed out of Kame Game shop, ignoring the calls of his friends.

----------

"Stupid, Kaiba..." Jou muttered, kicking an empty can along the pavement as he walked. "Stupid friends snooping in none-of-their-business..." Other more inaudible mutters followed those two, as Jou continued to walk down the streets of Domino.

The blonde had already been walking for about an hour, mumbling, muttering and glaring at nonliving objects he passed by. And kicking some for being in the way. Like the current victim; the Coca-Cola can he had named Steve-Bob.

Continuously kicking the can Steve-Bob, Jou walked on.

Why did his friends always have to interfere with everything he was involved in? From school to his personal life to his duels. Sure, he knew that it was because they cared...and it was very nice of them to care, of course. But sometimes, Jou felt a little suffocated by them.

Because, really; when was the last time he had been able to be alone, and just think? Think about normal stuff, and not only what he and his friends would encounter next; another crazy person who wanted Yugi's puzzle or to take over the world.

Actually...it had been several months. Several months without Jou-time for himself.

Sometimes, Jou wished that his friends would let him make his own decisions, and try to make things by himself. Regardless of if he screwed up or not. Like, with Sam. All his friends had been against it from the beginning...and through the whole relationship.

But, Jou had ignored their warnings, and had gone with what he felt. It hadn't ended so well, he had to admit, but he had been pleased the few months he did have with Sam, before that incident with the redhead.

Sighing, Jou kicked Steve-Bob harder.

But, then again, it was great to have such great friends who cared so deeply for him. He could consider himself lucky to have them. And, truthfully, he wouldn't change them for anything-

Before Jou could continue his thoughts, he collided with something hard and solid. With a loud yelp, Jou fell backwards, and hit the hard pavement. Groaning, Jou looked up to see just what he had crashed into.

"Damnit." Jou whispered, amber eyes filling with fear, and his cheeks paling.

Standing over him, was Sam. He wore the exact same clothes as earlier, only that his hair was let out. The grey eyes were widened with surprise, but soon they softened into a happy expression, along with a pleasant smile.

"Long time, no see, Katsuya." The man said smoothly, holding out his hand to help the other up.

Completely ignoring the outstretched hand, Jou scrambled backwards and onto his feet again. "Keep your hands to yourself!" Jou growled, glaring. "Even if tha's hard for ya, ya bastardish, raping, prick!"

A hurt expression entered Sam's eyes, and he reached out his hand to gently touch Jou's cheek, making the other flinch. "Katsuya...I'm really sorry about what happened all that time ago...truly, I am." A saddened expression floated over his face. "I just couldn't control myself."

Quickly backing off, Jou glared harder at the other. "Still! Ya shouldn' have done that!" A sob escaped Jou, but he was quick to bite it down. Why would his tears always insist on coming along near this guy?! "You would have raped me, Sam! I can't forgive that!"

"How can you be so sure?!" Sam suddenly snapped, a flash running through the grey eyes. "You don't know that! I could have stopped!"

Jou felt more rage flow through his system, and he took a step closer to the other. "If you would have seen your eyes in that moment as I did, you wouldn't say that!" The blonde cried. "If you would have seen yourself in that moment..."

Before Jou could end that sentence, Sam grabbed his shoulders in such a hard grip that they almost disjointed. With brutal force, Sam pushed Jou up against a brick wall next to them, causing Jou to yelp in pain and surprise. His grey eyes glowed when he leaned dangerously close to the other.

"Then what did I look like, _Katsuya?_" Sam said lowly, hissing out Jou's birth name. "Like this?" His hands settled on the brick wall, on each side of Jou's face, thumbs lightly touching the edges of the smooth cheeks.

Fear grew into Jou's heart, and he felt his body go into panic mode. His tongue was tied, and all he could do was nod. He could feel his heart beat so hard that it was trying to jump out of his chest, and he was close to hyperventilating.

It was exactly the same face; dark, hungry and evil. So different from the way Sam smiled gently, laughed and looked at him caringly. It made Jou fearful, and unable to move or anything else.

An animalistic grin tugged on Sam's lips as he leaned even closer to the other man. "Well then..." He whispered, making Jou shiver at the low and husky tone. "...maybe we should relive some memories then, love." With that, Sam leaned the rest of the way, pressing his lips forcefully upon Jou's soft ones.

A startled yelp was all Jou managed before the other man kissed him. The pair of lips were slightly cold, and horribly rough. At feeling those lips against his own, just like they had felt that night, Jou became terrified.

Reacting on instinct, Jou lifted his hands to Sam's chest and weakly tried to push him away. But his powers were limited due to the closeness of the other, and the way he was cutting off his air supply.

When the lack of oxygen became too much, Jou opened his mouth to try to breath in. But, instead of air, a tongue delved into his mouth, pulling him into an even deeper kiss. A whimper rose through the shorter man's throat, as he weakly pounded Sam's chest with his fists.

Vanilla ice-cream. The taste was taking over his mouth, the sweet taste mixed with some other taste, a bitter one.

A taste Jou soon recognized as his own tears.

Then, all of a sudden, Sam pulled back. He was panting slightly, looking into Jou's eyes with a hungry look. That look made Jou want to throw up and scream at the same time.

"You taste just as sweet as always, Katsuya..." Sam whispered, leaning in to lick away the tears that was running down his cheeks. "...and you're just as beautiful when you cry."

More tears and a choked sob escaped Jou at that comment, and he looked away from the other. A shiver coursed through his body. He felt dirty at that moment, like he just had taken a bath in mud, and then washed it off with something even fouler.

"...s-stop..." The soft whimper was barely loud enough to be a sound, but Sam heard it anyway.

Smirking, Sam let his fingers trail down Jou's side, stopping at his hip. The fingers found their way past his pants, and held onto the bare skin of his hip, instantly warming it, but still causing a shiver to run down Jou's body.

"No. I won't, not this time." Sam's grip on him hardened. "This time...you're mine."

----------

Growling, Seto walked out of his office, glaring at everyone who dared to even look at him, even more trying to speak to him. The day had been a complete disaster.

First of all, his workers had all been a royal pain in the ass for him the second he entered Kaiba Corp. Five different contracts, which all needed signing and a look over, was pushed under his nose the same second he entered. Normally, that wouldn't have done any difference.

But when said contracts all contained ideas that on earlier meetings were dismissed as rubbish and should not even have been discussed, much less read by him, it made a specific difference, seeing that he had to waste two hours of completely perfect working time on the useless pieces of papers.

It had all gone down hill after that.

He had fired three secretaries for flirting with him (aka trying to get him into bed for a raise), one of his board members jumped out a window (luckily the first floor one; he was afraid of heights), and seven more incompetent fools had been in his way and annoyed him all day by just existing.

Plus, someone managed to spill a full cup of coffee onto his brand new, white working shirt. Perfectly rounding off a splendid day of work. Note the sarcasm in the previous sentence.

Still growling, and trying to dry off the large stain on the front of his shirt, Seto had made a move for his limo, hoping to escape the terrific day at work in it, and getting home to his calm and quiet house. And his wardrobe.

Only to find, of course, that it had broke down, and had been driven to the mechanics. And no other limo was available today due to lack of drivers and donut stains on the seats.

So, now, Seto was walking down the streets, towards his mansion seven miles away, with a coffee stain on his shirt, blisters on his feet and a headache worthy of killing any man, even a dead one.

Yes. A splendid day, indeed.

Grumbling to himself about idiotic bastards that couldn't do a single thing right, Seto continued down the streets. Then he said the ever so classic sentence that always is followed by someone's downfall.

"Well, at least it can't get any worse." The brunet muttered, still drying off the ridiculously large stain on his shirt.

It was then he saw it.

At the end of the street, pushed up against a wall, making out with Sam, was Katsuya Jounouchi.

Seto dropped the paper towel in his hand on the pavement.

He could clearly, sickening clearly, see Sam pushing himself into Jou's mouth with his tongue, seemingly moving about in there. And the puppy wasn't pushing him away! He was just standing there, hands on the other man's chest, eyes closed. Probably responding too.

At seeing this, a strange feeling occurred Seto's heart. It felt like, if it hadn't been completely impossible...like his heart was breaking in two. Literally. And then being stomped on by a hoard of elephants. A feeling that wouldn't go away, no matter how much he ignored it.

Seto scowled, and started to turn around to walk away from the nauseating scene.

But then, Seto noticed something that just wasn't right in this picture.

Jou seemed to be very uncomfortable, weakly pounding on Sam's chest with his fists. Tears trickled down his cheeks, and he was paler than a ghost. And Sam's grip on the blonde's shoulder seemed very rough. And most importantly...

Seto checked again just to be sure.

...Jou wasn't responding into that kiss.

It took a few seconds before Seto understood just what that was going on.

Sam was forcing himself onto Jou. The puppy. _Seto's_ puppy! Those filthy hands were hurting his puppy, trying to force Katsuya into something that the other really didn't seem to want. And he had made Katsuya cry.

Red hot, furious anger rose in Seto's body, and his blue eyes narrowed so far that they were only slits. He closed his hands to so tight fists that his knuckles turned white, and his whole body shook with anger. Only one thing progressed in his mind.

Sam was going to die.

----------

"N-No!" Jou cried out, when Sam's hand was travelling from his hip to his ass, bypassing his pants and underwear, squeezing tightly on bare skin. Disgust wallowed in the back of Jou's throat, and he resisted the urge to throw up. "S-Stop it! I don't want th-this!"

"Be quiet." Sam growled, pushing Jou into an alley close by. Well there, Sam pushed his lips over Jou's once again, brutally forcing his way into his mouth. The redhead took his time to seek out every crevice of the other's sweet mouth, tasting all he had. When oxygen was needed, Sam moved his lips away for a few seconds, and then placed them on Jou's neck and sucked it harshly to leave his mark and make the other boy his.

A whimper escaped Jou, and he squeezed his eyes shut, causing tears to run down his cheeks again. It hurt when Sam bit his neck harshly, enough to draw blood. But the pain wasn't bothering him right then; the wandering hands were what was bothering him.

Both Sam's hands were busy; one on his ass, massaging it harshly, and the other working on the buttons of his shirt.

Jou's own hands tried to make themselves known; he lifted them to Sam's chest to push him away. But the shove that was meant to be harsh and making the other move away, only resulted in his hands slipping down the other's chest, making Sam moan deeply and suck more furiously on his neck.

Bitter tears ran down Jou's cheeks and he sobbed. So, this was it. Sam would rape him, and finally take what it was that he had wanted from the very beginning. And Jou would only cry and not be able to stop him. Damn this weakness that came along every time the other touched him...

When one of Sam's hands worked on the button of his pants, Jou felt dread wash over him, making him paralysed. He couldn't speak, not breath, not anything. All he could do was scream within his mind.

"_Stop! No! This can't be happening, it just can't...it's just a dream, nothing else...I'll wake up soon, my alarm clock will be blazing and send this dream away...please be a dream..."_

The worst part was that Jou was fully aware that this was no dream. It was all real.

Just when the button unfastened, something suddenly happened.

The heat of Sam's body was gone from him, and so was the wandering hands. And a sudden cry of pain and a loud thud was heard not too far away from him. Slowly, Jou opened his tear-filled eyes.

Laying on the ground, a large bruise was already forming on Sam's cheek, and he was glaring heatedly at the person who just had hit him.

Jou gaped.

Seto Kaiba was standing there, in front of Sam, and Jou could see him in profile. His tall and dark features was practically glowing with might and anger. Mostly anger. It was oozing of him, clear for anyone who wasn't either very blind or very dead. His fist were clenched, his whole body tense with his intense anger. But it wasn't his body or posture that had Jou gaping.

Seto's eyes were close to black, vicious and powerful enough to kill. It was one of those glares that could have killed a person, if not the laws of physics had been in the way. Jou had never before seen such an intense emotion in the other's eyes, except that one time when he was duelling Pegasus for Mokuba's soul.

A low growl rose from the brunet's throat, and he took a step closer to the man on the ground. In one swift movement, Seto grabbed the hem of Sam's shirt and lifted him off the ground to glare him straight into the eye, less than an inch from the other's face.

"No one hurts _my_ puppy, you depraved son of the devil's bitch." He hissed, so low that only Sam could hear it, leaving Jou just to guess what just had been said.

Surprisingly enough, Sam didn't even flinch. He merely smirked, a smirk that could only be described as evil.

"So. We meet again, Seth." Sam's voice was dark, and not even close to his usual kind and smooth tone. His eyes narrowed, and suddenly turned from stormy grey to murderous crimson.

"Though, this time, I'm the superior one."

---------

About one mile away, Seth sat up straight as an arrow in his chair at Kame Game shop. His blue eyes were wide, and his whole body tense. A cold shiver ran up and down his back, and something within him was screaming.

"Did you two feel that too?" He whispered, turning to Yami and Bakura.

For once, Bakura looked a little scared, and his dark brown eyes were filled with dread.

"...you mean the opening to the Shadow Realm? Yeah, it's kind of hard to miss a jolt of dark energy flowing through your body." He growled sarcastically, one hand over his heart, and waving off Ryou's worried hand off his shoulder with the other.

"Yes, I felt it too, cousin." Yami said calmly, though looking a little pale and sweaty, happily accepting the soothing hand of his aibou on his back. "Someone has just escaped the prison of the Shadow Realm...but who?"

Without wasting another second, Seth closed his eyes, and took a hold of his shadow powers. Humming quietly, he searched through his mind's map over the realm of darkness, trying to find every single one he had imprisoned there. First, he noticed no change at all; all souls he had sent there were still suffering there, screaming for salvation.

But then, the change came. At the darkest corner of his realm, reserved for the most horrible criminals, he found something; his magical shackles lying on the ground, black and dead, no longer holding anyone. No longer holding the most horrible criminal his heart knew of.

Seth snapped his eyes open, blue eyes filled with fear. "...Hatoc."

End Chapter!!! 

Well, there you have it! The twist is here! YAY! I made my first big twist ever! Honestly, who saw that one coming?! ...-counts hands- ...39...40...oh, shut up. –pouts-

Next update? Unfortunately, probably not next week. Maybe two weeks from now. But, I promise, I will try my hardest to update next week, or as soon as possible after. I just have a minor writer's block that needs to be overcomed...-glares at writer's block-

Writer's block: -sticks out tongue and laughs-

...it will die, I can assure you all...-mutters incoherently about murder and pain-

Now, please do review and tell me your thoughts, all of you! I will reply to all reviews who are either signed or has added an e-mail address. Cross my heart, and swear to die!

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone, see you next chapter!

-The Blonde Midget


	12. Abduction

Hi again, everyone! I'm back with a new chapter, the continuation, and more suspense for all of you! YAY! –dances around- 

Seto: ...she got chocolate for Christmas.

Jou: Alot...-looks sadly at the thousand empty chocolate boxes on the floor-

Hey, blame my friends for that! –pouts- ...anyway...Thank you everyone who reviewed! I'm really, really happy for all the kind words I got! It makes me all happy and giddy to see every review pop up! And I hope that I replied to all...tell me if I didn't, so I can apologize! (and if I didn't, I might mention that my computer and internet has been all funny...funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha.)

By the way...-throws confetti around herself- HAPPY 2007 EVERYONE :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Shizuka!

(Shizuka: Give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh, or I'll...err...hey is anybody there? –feels around blindly, still wearing bandages over her eyes-

Lawyers: ...-disappeared long ago to buy coffee-) ...--; ah well, maybe next time...

Pairings: Seth/Jou, Seto/Jou, Seth/Jono. Jou/?. Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou.

Warnings: Boy/boy love, some violence (very slight) and mentions of people getting hurt. Also, some OOC.

Now then...from all of me to all of you, here comes the new chapter!

**Chapter 12**

**Kame Game shop**

**Normal POV**

"HATOC?!" Yami screamed out, rising quickly. His red eyes were wide with surprise, and holding a tinge of disbelief. "That's impossible...he died back in Ancient Egypt! He was buried right after you were sent to the Shadow Realm, Seth!"

Seth bent his head down, and rested his head in his hands. Slowly, he shook his head, brown locks sweeping on his cheeks. "No. He didn't die. I sent him to the Shadow Realm, right before I went. I needed to know that he was tortured for what he did." His voice was now cold and hateful.

It was still in clear memory to Seth; even upon feeling his powers failing him, he could still cast one spell before he went to darkness. A spell that pulled Hatoc's soul (what was left of it anyway) along with him to the depth...and into everlasting hell.

Before Yami could speak once more, Bakura did. He was annoyed, because he had no idea of what the other two were speaking of. And he hated not knowing things.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" He asked angrily, rising one eyebrow. "Who the hell is Hatoc? Not a villain, I can understand; then I would have known about him."

"Yes, Yami." Yugi said, worry in his violet eyes. "I would also like to know who you two are talking of...he sounds like an evil man."

"Supreme evil." Seth growled, rising his head again. The blue eyes were filled with deep hate, rooted within his heart and soul. "He was a priest. Second highest after me, and second strongest. Always in second place, so to say." He smirked bitterly. "And that, everyone else knew."

Yami continued. "Hatoc was...insane. He used too much of the dark magic to get stronger than Seth, until the Shadows finally consumed his soul. It was then his thirst for power and strength became too much; I had to take action." Pausing, Yami looked down into his lap, closing his eyes tightly. "...that day he challenged you, Seth, I had thrown him out of the priests' group..."

"He didn't challenge me." Seth interrupted, frowning. "It was Katsuya the coward attacked. I just came in the moment Katsuya lost...and then I saved him from being sent to the shadows...by taking the blow myself." The former High Priest clenched his eyes shut.

Pain, soaring pain that had seemed to drown him, dragging him under...and then the blissful moment when everything disappeared...and then he fell, not even feeling the pain when he hit the ground. Katsuya's fearful voice that called him back from darkness for a minute of borrowed time...

"_Seth, speak to me! Please! Seth!" _

"Seth..." Yami whispered, his red eyes filling with sudden understanding. "...you did it all for Katsuya?"

"I love him." Seth said softly, smiling slightly. "With all my heart and soul...I needed to do it. His life was far more important than mine. If it had been him in my place...I would have died too. But I knew Katsuya didn't love me like that...not with the same passion I did. He cared, and that I'm happy for..." A tear slid down his face. "...but it could never become deeper."

Even if Yami's memory of his life in ancient Egypt were faint and blurry, and even though he couldn't truly remember every person from his past, the former pharaoh remembered a few important things. One of those things was Jono. And one particular meeting between him and the slave that proved Seth very wrong...

"I think you are wrong, Seth." Yami smiled too, closing his eyes to recall one certain thing that had happened back in their time, took a deep breath and spoke, starting to tell a story he remembered clearly from Ancient Egypt...

_Flashback _

_Jono was sneaking towards Seth's meditation chamber, throwing cautious glances around himself.  
_

_It was a well known fact that Jono wasn't allowed outside Seth's bedroom chamber just yet, and no slave was allowed to trespass in the corridors of the priests, which was reserved for the nobles. If he was found... _

_Well, that wouldn't be pleasant._

_But, he needed to see Seth! The man that had been so kind and affectionate towards him, saying that he loved him, and called him his moon, sun and stars...Katsuya missed him every second he wasn't there._

_"What are you doing in this part of the palace, slave?"_

_The blonde slave quickly turned around, to stare fearfully at the person that had spoken. And the amber eyes widened even more with fear at seeing just who that had found him. _

_Standing there in all his glory, was Atemu. Pharaoh of the whole of Egypt, a merciless man, ruthless and, everyone in Nubia had said, utterly evil. He wore a long, crimson and white tunic, matching his ruby eyes perfectly. His face was serious and down in a frown. _

_Bowing several times, Katsuya stared to stutter. "I...I-I'm deeply s-sorry, my lord! I just...I know I shouldn't be here, but..." _

"_You are Seth's slave, aren't you?" Atemu suddenly interrupted him, looking him up and down. _

_A fearful shiver ran down Katsuya's back. He knew that Seth would be in deep trouble too if it was known that his slave was somewhere he really shouldn't be. It would be seen as he hadn't been good enough in teaching him discipline. Seth would loose reputation, and Katsuya would be taken from him to a more fitting master. _

_Katsuya didn't want that...just because he had been too curious, yearning to see his master once more, loose to be with him. No one had ever cared like that for him...ever. And...Katsuya had never felt something like he did upon looking at Seth and being held in his protective embrace. Would he loose it all now? _

_A sob rose from Katsuya's throat at the thought, and he fell to his knees in front of Atemu. Bowing his head, Katsuya cried, hot and bitter tears running down his cheeks. _

"_P-Please...i-it isn't my master's fault! I was just too curious...I j-just wanted to...don't blame master...I can take a punishment..." Another sob made it's way through him. "...but please don't be mad with Seth." _

_Silence followed his stuttered sentences, only disrupted by his sobs and the sound of his tears hitting the floor. _

"_You really care a lot about my cousin, don't you?" Atemu finally said, a slight smile tugging at his lips. _

_Katsuya nodded furiously. "Y-Yes...I...I care..." _

_A soft sound of shuffling silk was heard as Atemu fell to one knee in front of the slave. With a tanned hand, the pharaoh took a hold of the other's chin and lifted his face up so their eyes met. _

"_Perhaps...you even love him?" The question was followed by a risen eyebrow. _

_Blushing slightly, Katsuya nodded slowly. "Y...Yes...I love...I love him...Seth..." _

_It hadn't occurred to Jono before...the warm feeling upon seeing Seth, the way his heart jumped with joy when the other gave him a smile, the wonderful shivers that went down his spine when Seth touched him, the way his whole body tingled with the other's kisses..._

_It really was love. Love, the sort of which bards sang about. Katsuya loved Seth, with every fibre of his being, soul and heart alike. But...now...he would loose it because of one single mistake. _

_Katsuya closed his eyes. "...please, don't take me away from him..." The faint whisper was the last plea Jono could give. _

_Atemu released his chin and rose again. A pleased smile was on his lips, reaching all the way to his eyes. _

"_Get back to Seth's chamber. We will pretend this never happened, Katsuya." Atemu turned to leave, but then stopped. Slowly, he turned his head around to glance at the kneeling boy. "...just take care of my cousin's heart." _

_End Flashback_

Seth stared at Yami, who was still smiling.

"He...Katsuya...loved me too?" A hopeful tone was in his voice.

"Enough to be ready to get punished and beg me not to take him away from you. I saw no lie in those eyes." It was the honest response from Yami.

"Besides." Bakura added, smirking widely. "He had to love you a great deal if he managed to stay with you without killing you!" Before Seth could take action, Ryou did. He smacked his yami's head hard, and glared at him angrily, clearly stating that a certain Tomb Robber was sleeping on the couch a _long_ time in the future.

"That aside..." Seth said, suddenly turning serious again. "Hatoc has escaped the Shadow Realm. We need to find him before anything more happens and before..." He paused, eyes suddenly widening. "...before he finds Jou."

"He's still seeking revenge..." Yami breathed out, understanding what Seth meant.

Bakura suddenly rose, bringing out the Millennium Ring from under his shirt, and holding it out. "Well, why the hell are we still sitting here for then?! Lets find that bastard!" Mumbling a spell to the Ring, it started to glow.

One of the golden spikes suddenly stood straight out, pointing to the door of Kame Game shop. Smirking, Bakura walked towards the door. "Yup, still got the right touch...lets go then, pansies!" With that, he ran out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Yami and Seth looked at each other, and then rushed out after the Tomb Robber.

Yugi and Ryou glanced at each other.

"Should we go after them too?" Ryou asked hesitantly.

Yugi shook his head, a worried look in his eyes. "No, we'd probably just be in the way. Lets let our yamis take care of this...for now."

"Let Bakura take care of something..." Ryou sighed. "...now I know I should be worried."

----------

The alley was silent after Sam's statement, except for Jou's gasps for air, and attempts to keep his sobs away. Seto was still holding the other's collar, staring into Sam's, now red, eyes, scowling for all he was worth at the smirking redhead.

"Who are you?" Seto asked through gritted teeth. It could impossibly be 'Sam' that he was glaring at. Sam had grey eyes...and now they were crimson. Eyes just doesn't change colour that quickly.

Jou, who was standing leaned against the wall behind him, desperately trying to fasten all the buttons of his shirt and pants with his shaking hands, stared too at Sam. This wasn't the guy he had got to know one summer ago and fallen in love with...it just couldn't be!

'Sam' smirked, and suddenly his whole appearance changed.

Red hair became black and greasy, even skin became rough and even darker than earlier and the straight nose became crooked like a hawk's. He seemed to shrink a few centimetres, to be as tall as Seto, maybe one centimetre shorter, and his fingers turned clawlike. The college clothes changed too, into a black cape with a hood, the hood hanging freely on his back.

Surprise and amazement touched Seto's features for a second, before again getting an emotionless look. Underneath that cover, however, he was hiding his confusion and shock. And also, slight fear of his and Jou's safety.

"...who are you, really?" He asked again, this time with a lower voice, and tightened his grip on the other's clothes.

"My name is not important right now..." The man smirked and grabbed each of Seto's hands with his own. "...my revenge is."

Before Seto knew what had happened, he was thrown three yards away, further into the alley, flying towards something hard and smelly. Namely, a trashcan. With a pained groan and a loud crash, he landed on said trashcan, pain shooting up his back and through the rest of his body. The trashcan fell over at the impact, Seto along with it, to be sprawled out on the dirty ground.

"Kaiba!" Jou cried out, staring at the place that Seto was laying, trying to get up from the ground. Worry was flowing through him, and he started to take step towards him.

The hawk like man suddenly stepped in front of him, effectively blocking his path. "And where do you think you're going, Katsuya?" He asked, voice too smooth and pleasant, sending shivers down Jou's spine. Shivers of pure disgust.

Quickly taking a step backwards, hitting the wall behind him, Jou glared heatedly at the other man. "Leave him and me alone, ya fuckin' maniac!" He yelled, voice slightly wavering. "What do ya want?!"

The red eyed man's thin lips curved into a smirk, and he took a step closer, tightly pressing himself closer to Katsuya. A horrible stench of death and corruption hit Jou's nose, and he whimpered when one of the claw like fingers caressed his cheek.

"Me? I'm simply getting my revenge...a revenge that was robbed from me so long ago." Smirking, he dragged one of his long nails down Jou's cheek, making the blonde gasp at the sudden pain when the sharp nail cut through his skin ever so slightly. "I seek justice...that that man robbed of me!" He turned his head to glare at the CEO on the ground, who was trying to get back to his feet.

Seto, who now was thoroughly pissed, sent a fiery glare to the man that stood so damned close to Jou. Of course, the anger was only because of the hurt of his pride. Not anything about how the other man was hurting Jou...

"Me? This is the first time I ever see you, infidel! How can I have done any wrong to you?" Smirking suddenly, Seto managed to get back to his feet. "Except for that bruise I got on your face earlier...it actually made your appearance more endurable. You should thank me."

Seto felt a sudden rush of energy towards him, and heard a fizzling through the air. That was the only warning he got.

A black lightning hit him straight in the chest, sending him flying backwards and into a brick wall behind him. His lungs emptied in a pained scream, before his whole body fell back to the ground, limp as a doll. The last thing he heard before everything went black, was the fearful scream of his name from Katsuya.

"Seto!"

----------

"Seto!" Jou cried out, without thinking, when the other man's eyes closed, and his body went limp. Fear and worry was riding high in his body, and his heart beat over 100 km per hour with anxiety.

With a forceful shove, Jou managed to push the horrible man away from him, and ran

towards the unconscious Seto. A sob near in his throat, Katsuya fell to his knees next to the other's unconscious body.

"Kaiba, come on..." He whispered, and touched the other's face. To his horror, Seto's skin was cold, and he was more pale than usual. A sudden suspicion hit him, and his honey eyes widened fearfully.

"...he...you can't be..." A sob forced its way up his throat, and he rose one hand over his mouth to keep in more sobs, and to fight back the wave of nausea that hit him.

"He's not dead. Only knocked out." Came a smooth and evil voice right by his ear, warm and smelly breath hitting his cheek. "Don't worry about your master, little slave."

Jou screeched, and jumped away from the other. His amber eyes were filled with hate and anger when he pointed at the other. "I-I'm no slave, ya murderous rapist!" The blonde yelled, glaring as hard as he possibly could.

With a evil smirk, the man held out a hand towards him. Jou felt a sudden tug on his body, and he was thrown forward, by the other's feet. One of said feet rose to stamp down on his back, and held it there. Growling angrily, Jou tried to wiggle free, but soon stopped when the other pushed his foot even harder against his back when he did.

"Back in Egypt, you would have been killed for that statement, Katsuya, slave of Seth." Came a raspy whisper, as the foot pressed harder, causing Jou to whimper. "Back in Egypt, you had

better protection against me, you had Seth...but now, Seth isn't here, is he? You will have your punishment for loosing against me! You will DIE, slave! DIE!" A mad laugh erupted from the other's lips.

Jou whimpered when the pressure on his back increased with the insane laughter from the other. His blood ran cold in his veins when pain started to shoot through his body, and his lungs started to ache from being pressed against the ground. The insane man would kill him then and there...Jou was sure.

The foot was lifted from his back, but Jou couldn't enjoy the relief for long, because a hand harshly grabbed his hair and lifted him up so he could see the other's face clearly; every wrinkle, every scar and every dirty spot on it.

"But what would the fun be, if not Seth watched, or what do you say, Katsuya?" The man hissed, still smirking. "We'll make it a real performance for him, won't we? Something to remember for the rest of eternity!" With a wave of his hand, the black haired man opened a black portal in the side of the wall, and dragged the struggling Jou after him, into the portal.

The only proof that they had ever been there was the mess they left behind...and the invisible traces of magic that still lingered in the air.

----------

"This way!" Bakura screamed, when the spike of the Ring once more changed direction, and ran in the direction of it. The golden eye of Horus shone on his forehead while he ran, following the direction.

Yami and Seth ran not too far after him, both panting and sweaty. "Are we sure he's leading us right?" Seth asked, panting deeply, heart pounding hard in his chest. It had been a long time since he had to overexert his body like this. Apparently, too long, if one judged by his body's condition right then.

"Sadly, I must say I trust Bakura on this." Yami muttered, still running for all he was worth. "His Ring hasn't been wrong thus far."

Snorting something that could be both an agreement and an insult, Seth kept running by Yami's side.

After a few more minutes of running and changing directions, Bakura suddenly stopped in the middle of the street. His brown eyes were curiously watching the golden tool in his hand, rising one eyebrow. "Well...that was unexpected..."

Both Yami and Seth caught up with him, and stood panting by his side. "Why...are we...stopping?" Yami panted, drying his forehead.

"Because of this." Was all Bakura answered, gesturing to the ring.

All five of the pikes on it were pointing in different direction, now and then throwing angry sparks. Every time Bakura moved it, the spikes moved too, flying around in all directions possible.

Yami stared with wide eyes; he had never seen the ring act that way. "...and...what does this mean?"

Bakura shrugged. "Well, either that this thing needs new batteries, or the person we're searching for disappeared from this realm." The white haired man paused. "...and, well, neither of the options are very good."

Before Bakura could say or do anything more, Seth grabbed his collar and lifted him off the ground. Blue eyes glared daggers into the brown ones, and a scowl was forming on the priest's face.

"Gone from this realm?! What the hell do you mean by that, you idiotic Tomb Robber?! No one just disappears from one realm!" Growling angrily, the brunet threw Bakura on the ground, completely winding him. Seth probably would have hurt him even worse of Yami had not took a hold of his arms, holding him back.

Coughing to regain his breath, Bakura glared back at the other. "Since you're asking so nicely, Priest, I'm going to answer you honestly; Jou is either dead or in the Shadow Realm!" He spat, slowly rising again.

All anger ran off Seth in one second, and his eyes turned empty. His muscles relaxed completely, and his shoulder slumped.

"...dead?" He asked, voice barely more than a whisper. It was like the entire world stopped around him, all colours disappearing along with every sound. It was as silent as a graveyard around him, and he could only stare out in front of him.

Jou...the wonderful reincarnation of his love in Egypt...the sweet boy that so easily had welcomed him into his home and into his heart as a friend. Maybe more than a friend even, seeing from all the blushes he had gotten from him. Could he really be dead? Cold, unmoving and his body not functioning, his soul flown to the heavens above?

No. Not Katsuya...

A pained yelp pulled Seth back into the world, and all sounds and colours came back in a sudden rush. Blinking hard, he brought the spinning world back to focus, and set eyes on the scene in front of him.

Bakura was glaring at Yami, rubbing his head sulkily. Obviously, Yami had hit him there. Probably not too gently either.

"Baka pharaoh, I'll get you for that!" He hissed, tending his aching head.

"Oh, shut up." The former pharaoh muttered, before turning to Seth. His crimson eyes locked with his. "Well? What should we do know, Seth? Any ideas?"

Seth thought the situation over for a minute. At once, he excluded the possibility that the blonde could be dead; somehow, he would have known if he was. Kidnapped was too simple.

Then, the other option to why the Ring had reacted so weirdly, hit him.

"Katsuya is in the Shadow Realm with Hatoc!" He whispered, quickly turning to Bakura. "Tomb Robber, can you find a place where a portal to the Shadow Realm newly has been open? Or, better yet, a still active one?" Hope shone in Seth's eyes.

Huffing, Bakura crossed his arms, and glared at the other. "Hmph. And why would I do that, Seth? After the way you've been treating me, you can't expect that I'll..." A hard glare back from Seth and the sudden wave of sparks that enveloped him made Bakura pause.

"...but when you put it that way..." He got up, rose his Millennium Ring and murmured another seeking spell into it.

The Ring vibrated for a few seconds and gave a low hum. Then, the spike on the right side of it shakily rose to point into an ally next to them.

Grinning, Bakura turned there. "Alright, we're going again! Another adventure of death and excitement awaits us, another possibility of fame and fortune, another-"

"JUST RUN, BAKURA!" Both Seth and Yami exclaimed, pushing him in front of them before setting off running.

Fifteen minutes and tree changes of directions in the dark alleys later, the three spirits reached an alley, unlike the others they had been in;

It simply oozed of Shadow Magic.

Cautiously taking one step into the alley, Bakura scrounged his nose in disgust. "Well...someone certainly had fun here..." He stated with a low mutter, sniffing around.

Groaning, Seth started to examine the walls. "I don't even want to know the meaning of 'fun' in your opinion..."

"A fight has occurred here." Yami said lowly, eyes closed, and his puzzle glowing while he scanned the area for the centre of the Shadow Magic. Half way through the scan, Yami noticed an abnormality in the terrain around himself; something was laying in the alley. Not an object...

"There's a person laying over there." Yami whispered, quickly snapping his eyes open, and turning to the place he felt the energy from.

Before either Yami or Bakura could even react, Seth was already at the place. Fury was running through his body; what if said person had something to do with Katsuya's disappearance! Or if said person had hurt Katsuya...

Growling angrily, Seth threw box after box to the side of him, searching for the person Yami had sensed.

It wasn't even a second later Seth found, laying under a layer of dust, a body. Not being able to control himself, Seth grabbed the person's shoulders and roughly pulled him into sitting position. Seeing that it was so dark in the alley, Seth couldn't see the other's face, and thus couldn't see who it was. But that didn't stop him the slightest.

"Alright, who the hell are you, and what have you done to Katsuya?!" He snarled, shaking the person. Bakura and Yami walked up to his sides, both of their millennium items glowing dangerously in order to scare the person into submission.

A low groan was heard and a pair of eyes blinked open in the dark shadows. Upon seeing just who that was holding him, said eyes narrowed into a glare that clearly stated 'oh no, not _you!_'

"I would highly recommend you to release my person this instant before I am to remove you by force." Came an angry hiss, a hiss which Seth and the others instantly recognized.

"Kaiba?!"

And yes, indeed it was so; it was Seto Kaiba's shirt hem which Seth held in a tight grip. Seto wasn't even blinking under the other's gaze, and hadn't even flinched at the glare that had been sent his way. All he did was to glare straight back, blue eyes colder than ice.

Seth quickly released the other man, and pulled him up to standing position. Upon standing again, Seto brushed away some dirt of his shirt (which still had a coffee stain on it), and tried to compose himself. After all, it was hard to remain steady and unfazed after being hit by magic lightning. A magic lightning that he didn't even _believe_ in. Shut up.

"What the hell were you doing here, Kaiba?" Yami asked, crimson eyes filled with confusion.

Seto rolled his eyes. "Oh, you know, just laying around in the dirt, because that's one of my favourite hobbies..."

"Yours too?!" Bakura asked happily, a sudden grin on his face. A grin which faded immediately at the weird looks he was getting. "...what?"

Completely ignoring Bakura's outburst, the CEO continued. "I was just on my way home when I saw Jounouchi and that Sam guy, and Sam was trying to force himself onto Jounouchi. And seeing how I hate cruelty to animals, I decided to help Jounouchi." Seto fell silent. "...but then something strange happened."

"What?" Yami and Seth asked at the exact same time.

Seto took a few seconds to figure out a way to say what he was about to say without sounding weird. Seeing that he came up with none, he just said exactly what had happened.

"Sam transformed into some old man, who tried to kill me using some sort of lightning and called me Seth." Pause. "...and no, it had nothing to do with magic. At all."

"Old man?" Seth suddenly turned very pale. "...was his hair black and his eyes red? Did he wear some sort of black cape, with a hood?"

"Yes." Seto nodded, at once recognizing the description. Because really, how can one forget a man who sends lightning into your chest and molests your love interest?

...no, an acquainted, not love interest. How silly of me, my fingers slipped on the computer keys.

"Hatoc..." It was a venomous hiss, full of hate and anger. Suddenly filled with enough energy to burn down the entire city, Seth turned to Bakura. "Tomb Robber, show me where a portal has been opened in this alley. And do it now."

The look of madness in Seth's eyes was the only encouragement Bakura needed. Without a single word, he pulled the Millennium Ring back out, and murmured a spell into it.

Or, well, he started to murmur a spell. He barely got halfway through before he was interrupted.

With a whoosh, a black hole appeared in the wall behind Bakura, thus making him jump away from it to not be sucked in by it. Now and then, streaks of red and blue ran through the hole, creating a mysterious purple light in it. Even though it was so black, one could still make out vortexes within it, of light and even darker black.

A portal to the Shadow Realm.

Eyeing the portal suspiciously, Seth walked closer to it. With his own magic, Seth scanned the portal, to find the characteristics of which spell-caster that had opened it. Almost immediately, he recognized the magic as Hatoc's, and his eyes darkened.

"It's Hatoc's doing." He hissed to the others, still glaring at the portal like it was the cause of all his troubles.

Yami hesitantly walked closer to the portal to stand to Seth's right side, red eyes glowing with worry. "Well, should we enter?"

"It could very well be a trap." Bakura stated, standing on the other side of Seth. His dark eyes showed close to no emotions; only a slight gleam of suspicion. "I mean, it is Hatoc's fault, all of this, and he's really thirsty for revenge, and now he opens a portal for us to the Shadow Realm..."

"Revenge for what?" Seto asked, annoyed with being one step behind in the conversation. "And who the hell is Hatoc?"

Seth threw his reincarnation a glare. "Hatoc is the man you saw earlier. He was a priest back in ancient Egypt, an evil man, and the one who sent me to the Shadow Realm. I did the same to him. And that's where the revenge part comes in. He wants to hurt me by hurting Katsuya. Satisfied?" The tone of Seth's voice clearly said that one should really think hard before asking anything else.

"...for the moment." Seto turned his blue gaze to the portal too, walking closer as well. "So. The mutt is in there?" A slim eyebrow rose. "And I suppose that he's in mortal danger?"

"Yes to the first, and yes to the second, though we are all in mortal danger too." Bakura said, smirking. "You're really getting the hang of this, Kaiba. I'm proud."

"After getting sent to the Shadow Realm twice, fighting for my brother's life three times against ancient magic that doesn't exist, getting turned to a statue, and almost getting killed by seven different weirdoes that wants to take over the world, one starts to get annoyed." Seto sighed, still looking impassively at the portal.

"Well, at least this one doesn't want to take over the world." The former thief said with a shrug. "...yet, anyway."

"Sorry for interrupting..." Yami said, glaring at the two men. "But what should we do? Obviously, Hatoc opened the portal meaning for us to come in. Thus, he probably has something planned for us."

"Katsuya is in there." Seth growled, glaring at the portal still. "His life is in danger, and Hatoc will kill him if we don't do something..." Before he could say another word, Seth was interrupted. But not by one of the three men around him.

A blood chilling scream was heard from the portal. It was slightly muffled due to that it was heard from behind the veil of the portal...but it was still loud enough to make the other men's ears hurt. The scream was long and drawn out, and spoke of unspeakable pain and agony.

As suddenly as it had come, it stopped. Only to come back a few seconds later, even louder and filled with more pain, but also with choked sobs. It was a wordless scream; only a cry of pain. A cry of pain that the other men instantly recognized.

"That's Katsuya's voice!" Seth cried, with eyes wide with fear.

Tired of all the talking and waiting, Seto walked closer to the portal. Jou was in there, obviously getting hurt, and Seto would have none of it. Shadow Realm or not, he was going in there. There was no other way to get rid of the horrible feeling that his heart was sending through his body at knowing Jou was getting hurt.

Annoyed when the other men stood completely still, Seto turned his head around to the others and snarled.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" With those words, Seto turned around back to the portal. Not hesitating one second, Seto walked through the portal, soon disappearing in the deep darkness, not a single trace of that he had ever been there.

Glancing at each other, Seth, Yami and Bakura nodded in agreement.

"He's right, what are we waiting for?" Seth said, and turned to the portal once more. Not even stopping to take another breath, he jumped through the portal, and disappeared without a sound.

"Wait for us, Seth!" Yami said angrily, and threw himself towards the portal.

Unfortunately, he didn't notice the way the portal slowly wavering, and fading into the shadows. When Yami actually reached the place it had been, the portal had already vanished.

Thus, making Yami throw himself towards a wall.

With a pained groan, Yami hit the wall with force, and fell straight back onto the dirty ground. His red eyes were dazed from the impact, and a bruise was forming on his forehead.

Calmly, Bakura sat down on a trashcan behind him, and rested his elbows against his knees. A smirk grew onto his lips, mischief and amusement evident on his face. "So, pharaoh, how does it feel to walk into a wall? Literally?"

"Shut up, Tomb Robber." Yami muttered, not moving once inch from the ground, as if it was actually the exact place he had planned ending up on. Soon realizing that it only made him look more stupid, Yami sat back up, glaring at the wall. "Seth and Kaiba is alone in there with a crazy and powerful man. What should we do?"

"Well. First of, they aren't really alone if their together in there...and Hatoc is there too...and Jounouchi...no, not alone at all." Bakura pondered on this for a few seconds, before moving back on track. "And about what we should do...we'll wait."

Yami gave Bakura an incredulous look. "...we'll wait?"

"We'll wait." Bakura confirmed, keeping his gaze at the wall where the portal once had been. "We'll feel if they come out again, even at some other place. There's really nothing more we can do, right?"

Sighing deeply, Yami nodded. "Guess you're right."

"I'm always right." Pause. "...well, except when I'm wrong."

----------

Jou gave another pained scream when Hatoc let his magic rip through him once more. It felt like freezing fire, and burning ice was running trough his veins, slowly killing him from the inside out. Tears ran down his dirty cheeks, and his whole body shivered. Sobs erupted from his throat when the pain dulled slightly, only to come back twice as strong.

"That's right, Katsuya, scream for me!" Hatoc laughed, once more letting his magic flow freely through the blonde, forcing out another scream of agony. "Make sure that Seth hears your pleads for salvation! Call for his aid!"

"_Seth..." _Jou whimpered inside his mind, clenching his eyes shut to stop the tears within them from escaping. _"Please, save me...someone...Seth...Kaiba..." _

The pain subdued again, and uncontrollable shivers took over Jou's body. They became even worse when Hatoc grabbed his hair to pull his face up towards him. Jou forced back a gag when the smell of death hit his nose, and Hatoc's warm breath hit him.

A horribly warm and wet tongue moved out to lick away tears from Jou's cheeks, making him whimper once more. "Your tears are like manna from heaven, slave..." He whispered, and smirked. "...and there will be more of those before I am done with you."

Screams once more echoed within the Shadow Realm.

**End Chapter!!!**

Cliffie:D What will happen now, Seth and Seto is in the Shadow Realm, going to meet Hatoc, an evil dude with magic powers! How will this end?! AARRGH, THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME! –dies-

Seto: ...-pokes- ...well, she's out cold for a while...

Jou: Please review, and the Blonde Midget will reply to all of you! See you next thrilling chapter!

Seto: -grabs Jou to drag him off and do naughty stuff in a closet-

-The Blonde Midget


	13. Fighting For Freedom

Hi all my wonderful reviewers and readers! Now, I have a new chapter here, for all of you to read! Hope that you are all happy:D 

On other note YAY! I HAVE OVER 300 REVIEWS! YAYNESS! I never thought I'd get so many on this… Thank you everyone who has reviewed to this!

Now…lets get the story going; after all, I left you all with a horrible cliffie last time around…;D

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh…but just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Mai!

(Mai: -winks- Come on, guys…give The Blonde Midget! –leans forward flirtingly-

Lawyers: …-are asexual-) …well, I should have known that…--;

Pairings: Seth/Jou, Seto/Jou. Jou/?. Yugi/Yami, Ryou/Bakura on the side, hits of Otogi/Honda.

Warnings: Boy/Boy love, action, slight violence, and lots of suspense!

Well, that's all I need to say really. Now, Read, Enjoy and Review, and I'll talk to you more at the end.

**Chapter 13 **

**The Shadow Realm **

**Normal POV**

"Kaiba!" Seth screamed when reaching through the portal. The realm around him was black, there was no obvious up or down, no walls, no floor...only dark mist that was swirrling around his ankles. It didn't feel like he was standing on anything. There was no solid ground under him, but he didn't fall.

Silence met his scream. No echo, no other sign of that he'd actually made a sound. If one wondered how it would feel to stand in space; well, there you got it.

"Oh great..." He muttered, glaring at nothing in particular. Which proved really easy, seeing that there was actually nothing there to glare at. "I'm in the Shadow Realm, Kaiba is gone, and I have no idea where to look for Katsuya..."

"Would you stop whining already, I'm right behind you, you dumbass." A cold and annoyed voice interrupted him from behind, making Seth turn around as fast as lightning.

Behind him was Seto, glaring angrily at him. His arms were crossed over his chest, looking like he had been standing there for a long time waiting for the other to show up.

Growling, Seth glared straight back. "Well, you could have said something."

"Could've, would've, should've. Only words." Seto looked around himself with an unimpressed look in his eyes. "So, this is the Shadow Realm. Not so impressive, if you ask me."

"Be not fooled by your eyes." Seth said seriously. "This realm has no limit, no beginning and no end, so finding Katsuya won't be easy.. Be on your guard; we will encounter strange and mysterious things here, not to mention horrible."

"Things like a door?" Seto said from behind him, sounding amused. (or, well…less bored than he usually did.)

Surprised by the other man's words, Seth turned to the same direction Seto was looking to see what he meant.

Not even two yards away from them was, strangely enough, a door placed. I was a very normal door; dark wood, normal sized and without any ornaments of any sort. But, even stranger, the door wasn't placed against any wall. It merely stood there in the shadows, not showing any signs of anything strange.

Wonder in his eyes, Seth circled the door, pretty much like a shark would do to a swimmer. There was nothing behind it, and it didn't seem to lead anywhere. It was just sort of…there.

Seto watched the door with a risen eyebrow, disbelief written all over his face. "Why the hell is there a _door _in the middle of the shadow realm?" He asked, voicing the question I'm sure you all were asking yourselves.

Seth didn't answer; he felt something weird behind the door; power. Energy. Unlimited, stronger than any he had ever felt before, except for once back in ancient Egypt inside the...

Blue eyes widened considerably, for now Seth recognized the door.

"This is the backdoor to the temple of Ra."

The CEO next to him gave him an incredulous look. "...backdoor to the temple of Ra?" He asked, voice void of any emotion. But the look of his eyes spoke more than any words could.

"Yes, how many times do I have to tell you?" Seth asked, glaring at him. "I've seen this door far too many times not to recognize it." And that was very true.

Back in ancient Egypt, Seth had showed this door to Jono several times. Being a slave, Katsuya wasn't allowed in that temple, but Seth still wanted to show him all it's wonders and beauty of the temple. Thus, he smuggled the blonde through the backdoor of the temple several times, happily guiding him around...

Through this very door he stood in front of now.

Before Seto could even begin to tell Seth how stupid the idea of this door showing up in the Shadow Realm was, a sharp scream pierced through the silence around them. And, it came from behind the closed door in front of them.

"Katsuya!" Seth cried when the scream died down in a pitiful moan, instantly grabbing the handle of the door. He pulled sharply, but the door remained in place, causing Seth's heart to chill.

It was locked.

Another memory from ancient Egypt came back to him; this door was always locked. Seth had made sure of it, so no temple thieves could come in there. The only thing that could open the door was shadow magic...

Not wasting one more second, Seth took a step backwards and put his right hand on the door. Drawing a deep breath, Seth let some shadow magic seep into the door, in a way it had done so many times before. Not more than one second later, a soft click was heard, and the door opened a crack.

Seth took the handle of the door, turning back to Seto for a second, a daring look in his eyes. "You're coming?"

"You bet." With that, the two males sneaked through the door. The sight that met them made both unable to speak.

They stood in a giant room, on newly cleaned floor of white marble. The walls around them were covered in gold, and statues stood there as well. Statues of monsters, half human and half beasts, and other strange things. Signs were carved into the walls as well, and Seth took a closer look on them.

"Hieroglyphs..." He whispered, blue eyes wide in wonder, letting his fingers trace the smooth carvings. With ease, he started to read them, and almost instantly recognized them. Over a thousand times before, he had read and repeated the words on these walls, and knew them all by heart.

"I know you're going to say this is impossible, Kaiba," Seth began, eyes fixed on the wall. "but this is the temple of Ra we are standing in right now..." He paused. "...the temple I was in charge of back in ancient Egypt...and the place I was sent to the Shadow Realm from."

There was a long pause of silence behind him. So long, in fact, that Seth turned around to see what was keeping the other from answering.

Seto wasn't even looking at him, and had obviously not listened. His gaze was transfixed to the middle of the temple, a strange look in his eyes. It was full of anger, hate and absolute fury. Seth followed the other's gaze to see just what had caused this anger. The moment he saw what it was, his eyes also flared up in the same emotion as his reincarnation.

In the middle of the temple, bound between two pillars with black ropes of magic, was Katsuya. His clothing were ripped, white school shirt dirty, a few buttons gone, and his blue pants ripped at each leg from the bottom to halfway up his thighs.

He seemed unconscious, hanging completely limp in the restraints. The black ropes were tied around his wrists, and over his chest and waist, barely holding him up. Even at the distance they were, they could clearly see the blood that was running down his wrists, obviously a result from fighting the restraints. Or from arching from pain.

The two men glanced at each other for a second, before starting to walk towards Katsuya. When they had reached half way, Seth suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. A shiver that could only mean one thing.

Shadow magic.

Before Seth could even react to the threat that was coming, black ropes shot up from the floor, much similar to the ones that was keeping Jou. Like snakes, they wrapped around their wrists and legs, and tugged them down to their knees.

A low groan escaped Seth when he hit the hard marble. Seth glared at the ropes, but kept still. Magic ropes wouldn't just let go, he knew that, and the magic ropes also kept him from using his magic. Which made it close to impossible to get loose.

Seto, however, was instantly tugging at the restraints, glaring at them heatedly. But the more he struggled, the tighter the ropes constricted around him. When Seto tried to rise, more ropes shot up, and wrapped around his upper arms as well to pull him back down to his knees. Growling, he tried once more to get free.

"There's no use, Seto Kaiba." A smooth and cold voice croaked out, echoing out over the room. "My ropes will not let go of you. The more you struggle, the more they keep you back..."

"Who are you?!" Seto hissed out, not caring for the way the black ropes were now so tight on his wrists that they were close to breaking. "Show yourself, you-"

"Come out, Hatoc." Interrupted Seth, voice low and hateful. The name was spat out with hate and disgust, the deep loathing for the name's owner clearly showing. "If you're not a bigger coward than I originally thought."

An evil laugh echoed out in the room, now from closer range. "Your insults have no effect on me, Seth, High Priest..." A man walked out of the shadows behind Katsuya. "...because it is you who is trapped like a mouse in my trap."

Hatoc now stood directly behind Jou, wearing his hood to cover his face. Only the red eyes glowed at them from the darkness of the hood, power showing clearly in their depths. He wasn't looking at them, however. No, his entire attention was focused on the blonde boy in front of him.

Seth growled when Hatoc let his hand rest on Katsuya's head, absently playing with his hair. A slightly lower sound was heard from the male next to him, but Seto's glare spoke more than any growl could.

Ignoring both the growl and the glares he was getting, Hatoc let his hand travel down from Jou's head to his neck, stroking it slightly. "He's a beautiful toy this one, Seth. I can only imagine the pleasure you must get from him..." Hatoc paused, red eyes glinting with a strange gleam. "...no actually, I can do much more than just imagine..."

"Let go of him." Seth hissed lowly, venom in his voice. "It is me you want, not him. Katsuya has nothing to do with this."

Hatoc rose his hands to the hood, and he let it slide off. A smirk was playing on his lips, making his wrinkly face even more disdainful. "Oh, but he does...he has everything to do with this. Because honestly, Seth, what would hurt you more? Your pain..." A dagger, black with rubies at the handle, suddenly appeared in Hatoc's hand, and he put it against Jou's throat. "...or his?"

The action made Seth freeze in place. His gaze was like glued to the dagger, blue eyes clearly showing that he didn't appreciate that knife anywhere near Katsuya.

A growl rose from Seto's throat when he saw the dagger, and he pulled against the ropes around his body. "I warn you, Hatoc, or whatever your name was. If you only hurt only one hair on Jounouchi's head, I will kill you in the most painful way known to mankind." He hissed, glaring straight into Hatoc's eyes. There was no lie in those cold, ruthless eyes that would have had any man down on their knees, praying for mercy.

The way that bastard of a man was pressing that knife to Jou's neck had him inwardly seething. Seto promised himself that, no matter what, he would make sure that Jou came out unharmed of this, and that Hatoc would die.

An evil look entered Hatoc's eyes. But before he could say anything, Jou suddenly started to stir slightly. His eyelids flinched, and slowly rose. Pained amber eyes came to show, and he blinked a few times.

A whimper escaped him, and he closed his eyes once more. "What...what's happening..."

"Katsuya!" Seth called out, blue eyes at once shifting onto the other's face. Slight relief showed, along with worry.

"Seth...?" Jou opened his eyes again, fully this time, to look in the direction of the voice that was calling his name. At seeing the brunet there, Jou's eyes widened. And they widened even further at seeing Seto sitting next to him. "Kaiba?!"

The disbelief in Jou's voice was very clear, and not surprising. Because, really; what were the odds of Seto Kaiba coming to the Shadow Realm to save someone, that wasn't his little brother?

"Are you alright?" Seth and Seto asked at the exact same time, glancing at each other quickly with surprise.

Jou would have nodded, if there hadn't been a dagger against his neck. So he settled with a slight smile. "Yes, I'm fine..."

"Aw, how sweet." Hatoc cooed, before glaring and pressing the knife tighter against Jou's throat, making the other whimper. "Too bad he's going to die soon." The knife tightened against Jou's throat, making him gasp with pain and clench his eyes shut.

Jou hear his heart beat loudly in his ears when Hatoc moved the knife and cut through the skin, causing a thin opening in the skin. Warm blood, only a few drops, started to run down the skin of Jou's pale throat. The wound stung slightly, and made Jou whimper slightly. The stining soon progressed to soaring pain when the knife continued it's slow path along his neck, forcing out a sharp cry from Jou's throat, as tears started to run down his cheeks.

"No!" Seth called out, finally ripping against his restraints on instinct.

Beside him, Seto remained quiet, but a strange fire was burning in his eyes, and the efforts he had made before doubled in strength.

Hatoc threw a glance at Seth and Seto, and smirked before loosening the knife from Jou's neck slightly, making the other gasp in relief. Dark, red blood glisterned on the knife, in the same colour as Hatoc's eyes when a cruel idea reached him.

"Although...I promised to give you a show to remember, Seth." He turned his gaze to Jou, tracing his cheek with the knife. "So, why not have some fun before you die, Katsuya? If I understood it right...you're a virgin, hm?" Hatoc let his free hand travel down to the edge of Jou's shirt, and let his hand move in under it.

Two pairs of blue eyes narrowed instantly.

Jou tensed with fear, and he tried to wiggle away, but the bonds only got tighter around him. And Hatoc's hand pulled him closer to the body behind him, while licking some blood off his throat, making him shiver in disgust.

"S-Stop it!" Jou cried, a tear escaping him when the hand started to move lower to the hem of his pants.

"Ah, don't be shy, Katsuya...back in my time, you were made for pleasuring others, why change that?" Hatoc chuckled and started to play with the button of his pants.

Seto's eyes were now narrowed so far that they were only slits, and he was fighting as hard he could against the bonds. But more ropes shot up from the ground, a few around his waist, and one around his neck, trying to choke him. The brunet felt nothing of this, there was only one thing clear to him; Hatoc had to die.

Seth had the similar thought in his mind; though he had a much more better way to get rid of the restraints. Before, they had also cut off his magic. But now when red hot anger was rushing through his veins, there were no restrains in the world that could keep him down. Hatoc had gone over the line, hurting this Katsuya and insulting _his_ Jono...

With a mighty scream, Seth grabbed his magic and used it to burn the black ropes off his, Jou's and Seto's body in one second flat. Slowly and menacing, he rose to his feet, clenching his hands to fists. Black flames enveloped his hands, and blue lightning shot from his eyes towards Hatoc with the harsh glare he was handing him.

"Hatoc, former priest of Pharaoh Atemu and Ra. I am Seth, High Priest of Pharaoh Atemu and Ra. With this spell..." Seth held out his hand and started to summon his mightiest monster. "...I declare a duel."

Hatoc looked at him with a smirk, rising too, albeit not letting go of Jou completely; he held a tight grip on the other's arm. "High Priest Seth, with this spell, I, Hatoc, servant of the dark master Anubis, accept your challenge."

A sudden wind swept through the temple, almost throwing the people inside the temple to the floor. A duel of Shadow Magic was about to start.

The duel's rules were easy. They both summoned one monster each, and they battled. The first one to loose their monster, either by an attack or by loosing too much energy to keep the monster alive, lost the duel. And with that, seeing that they were in the Shadow Realm, the looser lost their life.

Seth wasn't afraid. Even if Hatoc was strong, Seth was stronger. He had always been the strongest of them. No matter how much Hatoc had trained, Seth still had the strongest magic, and also had the best reason to fight at that moment. He wasn't fighting for his own life only. He was fighting for Katsuya, and for his reincarnation.

He would win. No matter what.

For Katsuya's sake.

Finishing the spell he had started at the very beginning of his challenge, Seth rose his hand above his head, magic lights shining from it. "By the help of the mighty god Ra, I summon my most powerful beast to life; Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

White lightning flew from Seth's hand, illuminating the whole temple in bright light. It formed a shining orb, which grew in size by every passing second. Not more than a few seconds later, the light seemed to explode without a sound.

Hovering above and before Seth, was a mighty dragon; the exact same creature that could be seen on Seto Kaiba's cards of Blue Eyes White Dragon. The dragon reached to the ceiling of the temple, showing of great power and strength. It gave a challenging roar towards Hatoc, glaring with it's huge blue eyes.

No fear could be seen on Hatoc's face; he merely smirked. "Good, Seth. Very good." The smirk soon became a serious look. "But not good enough."

Also rising his hand, black lightning shooting from it, Hatoc spoke loudly. "By the help of Anubis, the mighty of the mighty, I summon you; Dragon of Anubis!" A loud boom was heard after that, and a dark portal opened behind Hatoc.

A laugh of complete madness erupted from Hatoc's throat, as he pointed to the portal. "Alas! Watch the rise of my mighty fighter, Seth! And see your own doom within it's dark eyes!"

And out of the portal came a dragon. It was black; no, even darker than black. It was just as large as Seth's Blue eyes, but seemed far more mighty. Wings spread from it's sides, they too black with huge claws in the ends. Equally large claws could be seen on the creature's feet, all four of them.

Muscles rippled under tough scales when the creature moved to stand before Hatoc, roaring so loud that everyone had to hold their ears. The creature's long neck bent backwards like a wolf when it roared, and the gigantic head with it's large mouth, with long sharp teeth as black as it's skin, swung towards Seth.

Before it could reach very far, the Blue eyes met the attack with it's own head. A loud bang was heard when the two heads collided, and sparks flew from the friction when they pulled apart again, to glare at each other and await their master's order.

Seth rose his hand and pointed to Hatoc's dragon with eyes filled of determination. "Blue eyes! Attack his dragon now, with White Lightning!" He barely got to finish his sentence before the white dragon roared, opened it's jaws wide and shot out a large ball of white light towards the other dragon.

The ball hit squarely in the beast's chest, and engulfed it in light, making the occupants of the room cover their eyes to protect themselves. Seth smirked, completely sure that the dragon was obliterated. What met his gaze when the light faded, however, made the smirk fall right off his face.

The black dragon stood, completely unharmed, on the exact same place it had been earlier. It lifted it's wings to the ceiling, and roared with anger and annoyance.

Hatoc smirked, still keeping Jou close to himself. "Good try, High Priest. But my dragon is so much stronger than yours, that your strongest attack doesn't do more than a mosquito's harm to it! Now..." He grinned, and rose his own hand. "...lets see how you handle the full power of Anubis's dragon of darkness! Black Burst!"

The black dragon stretched it's neck out towards the Blue eyes and opened it's mouth. For a few seconds, sparkles of dark magic could be seen there, before several black lightning's flew out, and towards the Blue eyes.

The lightning's hit straight in the chest of the dragon, and a roar of pain was heard from it. But not only from the dragon; Seth screamed too, due to the bond of the souls he and the dragon had, he felt the same pain as the one of his dragon.

Panting, Seth fell to one knee, his whole body shaking wildly. The pain was still there, like needles piercing his skin from the inside out. Never before had he encountered such power in one attack, not even Yami could do such damage to him. Slowly lifting his head, Seth looked out to see how his dragon was doing.

The mighty dragon was lying on it's side on the floor, panting so it's large chest rose and fell rapidly. Black burns could be seen clearly on it's pale skin, focused on the chest, where also a large wound where silver blood ran out slowly.

His dragon...it wouldn't last for much longer...and neither would he.

"Seth!" Jou screamed fearfully, staring both at the dragon and it's master. The worry in the large brown eyes showed clearly, and he tried to rip free of Hatoc's grip. Though, it soon showed impossible; the other had a death grip on his arm.

Seto, who stood by the sidelines of the duel, close to where the dragon was laying, didn't show of any worry. Instead, his dark, blue eyes were glaring at Seth.

"Seth, get up! You are not loosing this duel! Continue, or I'll have to take your place!" Seto called out, meaning every word; if the other man was incapable of protecting Jou and winning this duel, Seto would take his place in order to win. With or without Seth's approval.

These words made Seth scowl, and he got to his feet with a snort. "Hmmph. Like you would even last a second in a duel like this..." He muttered, ignoring the way his knees were shaking. The physical strength he had to provide to keep his dragon alive had doubled now that it was injured...

It was then Seth realised something. He looked at the black dragon ahead of him, and quickly made a check of the levels of magic within it. What he discovered, made satisfaction pour through him, and he looked at Hatoc.

"Hatoc, I must admit...your monster is strong..." A smirk slowly got to Seth lips. "...but how strong are _you?_"

"What?!" Hatoc snarled, glaring for all he was worth at the other. "What the hell are you implying, High Priest?!"

Seth continued to smirk, taking a step closer to the other. "I'm just asking...for how long can you keep your beast in this world before your strength gives in? To provide such a beast with such strength and power, you must take it from yourself. But your magic is limited, and lessens with every attack. Thus, your monster gets weaker with every attack. So, I'm asking...are you strong enough to hold the monster the duel out?"

Seth had seen such mistakes before. Countless people he had duelled had brought out the strongest creatures that existed, and only managed to keep them alive for one round, or even less. Seth had learned his own limits long ago; the Blue eyes was the strongest monster he could keep alive for the longest period of time, and the one that proved the most effective.

And just now he had seen the level of strength of Hatoc's dragon...it was close to zero, because Hatoc's magic was being drained. Probably from keeping both the illusion of the temple, and opening and closing portals earlier.

So now, Seth had the advantage. And he was planning to use it very soon.

A snarl appeared on Hatoc's face, and he pulled out his knife again, pressing it to Jou's throat. "Shut up, Seth! Or I'll make the process short with the blonde!"

"Sure, I'll be quiet. But remember, Hatoc..." A serious look came back to Seth's face. "...you should keep all your strength focused on your monster. Because it's my turn now." Once more, Seth turned to his dragon. "Blue eyes! Arise, and give him the full taste of your power with White Inferno!"

The dragon roared, suddenly filled with more strength than before, and got to it's feet with a little help from it's wings. It turned to the opposing dragon, and once more opened it's jaws. This time, the orb of magic was replaced by many white spears, that shot out with magnificent speed.

"Anubis, evade!" Hatoc screamed, but far too late. The spears hit his dragon, and made both the dragon and spellcaster scream with pain. The second the spears hit, they exploded in a magnificent lightshow, forcing out another roar of pain, which died out in a low and dark tone.

When the light died down, along with the many echoes, the black dragon was gone. But Hatoc was still standing, staring at the wounded, yet powerful, white dragon in front of him.

"Yes!" Jou cried, grinning like a fool. Seth had won, and had completely destroyed the other's dragon.

Seto smirked with satisfaction, and crossed his arms. Hard words and insults worked all the time to encourage people...both workers and crazy ancient spirits.

Face completely blank and emotionless, Seth turned his gaze to Hatoc. "Your monster is gone, Hatoc. I have won the duel, and you will have to pay the price for loosing." He rose his hand to his dragon and spoke calmly. "Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack him directly-"

"Wait!" Hatoc hissed, glaring at Seth. A smirk was suddenly playing on his lips, and he pushed Jou down in front of him. "Don't you realise something, Seth? If you attack me, it won't be me you're killing. It will be the little pretty Katsuya here who will pay the price! So, attack, Seth, and kill Katsuya yourself!" Hatoc cackled, insanity clear in his eyes.

Jou stared at Seth, then the dragon and then back to Seth again, eyes wide with fear, because he knew the other had to attack and kill Hatoc. There was no other way to get out. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Jou could see the mirror of his own fear in Seth's eyes.

For a moment, the temple rested in silence, save for the Blue Eyes pants for breath.

Seth's arm fell down limply by his side.

He couldn't do it. No matter how much he wanted to kill Hatoc, make him burn and force him back into the Shadow Realm, he couldn't do it without hitting Jou. No matter how precise his dragon was, it would still manage to hit Katsuya as well. To win this completely, to kill Hatoc...he'd have to kill Katsuya too.

He couldn't do it.

There was only one thing he could do.

The brunet closed his eyes, and sighed. "I, High Priest Seth, will now surrender this duel-"

"Like hell you will." Said a cold voice, interrupting Seth's surrender. Seth looked up to see who that had opposed his will.

Seto was glaring at Seth, anger and annoyance clear in his blue eyes. It showed clearly that he wasn't agreeing to Seth's attempt to give up. The brunet turned to Hatoc, head held high as their eyes met; red mixing with navy blue. For being a teenager without any magic powers, and a large coffestain on his shirt, Seto managed to look pretty darn impressive.

"Are you that much of a coward, Hatoc, that you will not even recognize your own defeat?" Seto's voice boomed out, and echoed in the large room. "You hide in the Shadow Realm, threaten to kill an innocent person to get revenge on another person, and finally try to cheat at the dawn of your own defeat? You must be the biggest coward I have ever met in my entire life. And trust me..." Seto smirked. "...I've met quite a few."

"How dare you!?" Hatoc roared out, red eyes starting to glow with hate and anger. "No one insults me without getting punished!" He rose his hand and threw out magi lightning towards him.

Seto, who now saw his chance, jumped out of the way of the lightning, and then threw himself onto the other man. Quick as the lightning newly cast towards him, Seto ripped the hands away from Jou's arms and pushed the blonde out of the way, and wrestled the man to the ground, chest to the ground, holding his arms behind his back.

"Now, Seth!" He screamed, holding the struggling man to the ground. "Attack now!" Sweat started to run down his face when he had to struggle even worse against the black haired man who was now seeing what he was trying to do.

"But, Kaiba, what about you, you will..." Seth started, eyes wide with confusion and hesitation.

"I SAID, ATTACK!" Seto roared, glaring at the other for a second, before having to return his focus onto the man under him who was now starting to get the upper hand, having managed to release one arm, grabbing Seto's leg, trying to turn them over.

True, the attack would blast Seto as well. But the brunet knew what he was doing, and he was fine with it. It would make an end to it, get rid of Hatoc, and make sure that Jou was safe. Because that was what he was there for. Besides, who knew; he could get lucky?

Not wasting any more time, Seth rose his hand one last time, closing his eyes in a prayer for strength, he screamed. "Blue Eyes, attack with White Lightning directly to Hatoc!"

With a roar, the dragon burst out a straight line of white, sending it flying towards the two wrestling men on the ground.

In that moment, Hatoc had managed to get on top of Seto, so he was hit with the magic straight in the back, the lightning piercing his body straight through, making him scream with agony, his scream mixing with the one's of Seto when the electricity went through his body as well.

The power of the attack left an enormous pressure wave, sending both Seth and Jou backwards to land a few yards away from the places they had originally been.

White light erupted all around the temple for a few seconds, before slowly fading away. The Blue Eyes White Dragon was gone with it's last, finishing attack.

Hatoc was gone, no trace left of him.

In the spot where Hatoc once had been, was now a redhead which Jou and Seth both knew.

Sam. He was unconscious, and probably happily oblivious of everything that had just happened. The dark spirit of Hatoc, which had possessed him earlier, had been sent away to the Shadow Realm, and would never return.

Underneath the unconscious man was Seto Kaiba, he also unconscious. His clothes were burned in the edges, and he was deadly pale.

"Kaiba!" Jou cried out, quickly getting to his feet and running over to the unconscious man. Quickly pushing Sam off him, Jou lifted the brunet's head into his lap. With gentle care, Jou traced the other man's face, and down to his neck to feel for his pulse. A sigh of relief escaped him when he felt a faint, but still steady, pulse underneath his fingers.

Seth, who had also run over to them, sat down next to Sam, and felt for his pulse too. "He's alive. Hatoc's hold on him has vanished. He'll probably not remember anything that has happened today..." He said calmly, looking over to Jou.

Jou was looking down at Seto's face, amber eyes sparkling in the warm lights of the torches around them. His hands were gently caressing the brunet's face in a sign of affection, seemingly unknowing of what he was doing, and his face was pale. A long, thin bruise had formed on his throat, where Hatoc had pressed the knife tight against it, and some dried blood still lingered there.

"Katsuya...are you alright?" Seth asked lowly, scooting closer to the blonde. His voice was soft due to exauhstion, and the question had a double meaning; was he okay physically and mentally?

"Yeah..." Jou whispered, slowly looking up from Seto's pale face. A faint smile was shown on his face, and a tear ran down his cheek. "Thank you, Seth. For saving me."

Seth returned the smile with one of his own. "You should thank Kaiba, not me, Katsuya. He saved you from Hatoc just now. And earlier too, if I understood it right."

Faintly, a blush started to rise on Jou's cheeks, and he looked down on the brunet in his lap. "...yeah, I will thank him..." Jou paused, and glanced over to Sam. "...was...was it Hatoc all along who hurt me, Seth? Is Sam really...not to blame?" Slight hope was in Jou's voice when he looked up at Seth.

Seth hesitated for a while, before he spoke. "What happened today, when Sam was trying to rape you in that alley...that was Hatoc, yes." Jou's eyes lit up slightly, before Seth continued. "But what happened last summer, Katsuya...I know Hatoc was in the Shadow Realm all the while before you brought me back."

Jou's eyes filled with reluctant understanding, and he glanced at Sam again, silently watching his peaceful face.

Jou had hoped that all the things Sam had done to hurt him could have been blamed on Hatoc; then he could have forgiven him and been his friend again…or closer than friends, even. He really liked Sam, since the first day he met him, and he really would have liked to forgive him. But Sam had tried to rape him last summer, there was no going around it. But he had really hoped that it hadn't been Sam…for both of the boys' sakes.

Katsuya bit his lip, and tears started to make his eyes sparkle. "...I...I see."

With a slight frown, Seth leaned over and lightly touched Jou's cheek. When the other looked at him, Seth smiled and pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Do not be saddened, Jou. There are still so many that cares about you. Me, Yugi, Yami...and Kaiba, of course, only to mention a few."

A slight smile tugged on Jou's lips, and he nodded. "I guess so...thanks again, Seth. I don't know wha' I'd do without you."

Seth smiled, before getting to his feet. "Well then...now, I think he should get out of here. This isn't really the best place to linger in.

With that, the four started to make their way out of the room; Seth with Sam thrown carelessly over his shoulder, and Jou dragging Seto with him, with one arm around the other's middle and the other holding one of the brunet's arms around his neck to support him.

**End Chapter!!!**

YAY! They all survived! (except Hatoc, but hey; who cares?!) Now then…how did you like this then? (yees, I know that my fighting/duelling scenes needs some improvement, but still; no one's perfect, right? )

And yes, I know, I didn't explain the whole Hatoc-possessed-Sam thingie very good...I will do that later, though, I promise!

Now then…REVIEW! I need reviews to keep going. Specially since I feel a writer's block crawling in on me to this next chapter…a big one…suggestions would be very helpful!

-sigh- anyway. Review, and I will try to reply to everyone:D

-The Blonde Midget


	14. Trial Of Souls

-slowly peeks out- Um…hi? Can come out now, no one will hurt me? Goodie. –jumps out- 

First things first; I AM SO DAMN SORRY! I haven't updated for ages, but I have excuses! Good excuses! Homework, national tests, evil teachers, handball practice/games, writer's block, fights with my friends…the list is so long! But still, I am so sorry!

Second; Thank you all who reviewed! All you long and many wonderful reviews made me so happy, and made me want to update! I LOVE YOU ALL! (L) (L) (L)

…now then…I'll just start the story now, 'kay?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Rex Raptor! (Rex: Give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh, or I will send my dinosaurs on you!

Lawyers: …-points out that they are all extinct.) --; Well, I didn't expect anything less…

Pairings: Seth/Jou, Seto/Jou, Seth/Jono…Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou, And hints of Honda/Otogi.

Warnings: Boy/Boy love, hints of child abuse, and use of swearwords, and the British word 'bloody'.

Now…CHAPTER STARTS! Read and enjoy, sweethearts!

**Chapter 14**

**Normal POV**

Darkness.

The only thing he could see around himself was black and utterly complete darkness.

Seto turned around, searching for something, anything, with his gaze that wasn't only black darkness. But, no matter where or how hard he looked, he saw nothing. All there was, was that same darkness.

Sighing annoyed, Seto crossed his arms and glared at nothing in particular. "Oh great, where the hell am know then?" Of course, the CEO didn't expect an answer. So, as you all can understand, it was a great shock when a voice spoke behind him.

"You are in the world of lost souls." A soft and gentle voice replied.

At once, Seto snapped his head around to see who it was. At seeing the person behind him, he turned his whole body around too, staring with wide eyes.

Behind him stood…Jounouchi? It looked like him anyway…but at the same time, it did not.

Jou's hair was lighter than usual, and longer too. It reached a little bit bellow his shoulders, and curled cutely around his face. It framed his amber eyes perfectly. Amber eyes that also seemed a little lighter to the colour; more like molten gold than amber. His skin was more tanned than usual too. But the real thing that made Seto stare was what Jou was wearing.

It was a light green tunic. It wrapped tightly around his hips, and reached down to his knees and hung nicely over his shoulder. His chest, which also was nicely tanned, was clearly put on show for him…

Not that he was looking, of course.

For a moment, Seto was speechless, and could just stare at the god-like creature in front of him. Then thought and speech came back to him.

"…Jounouchi?" He asked uncertainly, trying to sort out just what, or who, he was actually seeing. And what Jounouchi was actually _wearing._

The blonde boy leaned his head to the side in a questioning manner. "Jounouchi? I am very sorry, my lord, but I have never heard that name before." He straightened his back, and smiled gently, not at all like Jou's cocky grins; he almost seemed shy. "I am Katsuya Jono, and I will be your guide whilst you are here." Jono bowed his head slightly.

Seto was once again reduced to staring. "…guide through what?"

Katsuya's eyes widened cutely, and he blushed with embarrassment. "Oh, right, forgot that…first of, we are in the Shadow Realm-"

"Really?" Seto said, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Because the darkness around us really didn't put me off…"

"…and you're stuck here…"

"You really have a nick for stating the obvious, don't you?"

"…until you go through the Trial of Souls." Jono finished, clutching his hands together around the hem of his tunic and pulling, obviously a nervous habit.

"The WHAT?!" The CEO roared, grabbing Jono's shoulders and pulling him closer to himself. So close, in fact, that their noses were touching.

"The Trial of Souls." Jono repeated, voice soft and small. "It's a journey through the Shadow Realm, and a way to see if you are worthy of coming back to your own body or not…I-I will be your guide, and the judge of whether you stay or go…" The blonde finished, looking deeply into Seto's eyes, making him drown in the golden eyes…

He quickly snapped out of the sudden trance, and pulled away quickly. "I see. And just how will you…'judge' me?" Seto crossed his arms and rose one eyebrow expectantly, locking eye with the other boy.

It was like a lightning passed between them, making them both flinch.

Katsuya suddenly rose one hand and put it against the CEO's cheek, making him flinch with the sudden touch. A strange look passed through Jono's eyes, and a soft smile spread across his face. All of a sudden, the atmosphere around them changed dramatically from dark and cold to warm and bright. They now stood in a small, candle lit room, that smelled of vanilla. Behind Katsuya, in the dim light, Seto could barely make out a bed.

The blonde man's voice was very soft when he spoke. "You remind me so much of my master…Seth…" Before Seto could react, Katsuya leaned his forehead against his, looking him deeply in the eye once again. It was then Seto felt a sudden surge of emotion from the other boy.

Longing. Desperation. Loneliness. But also hope…

Quickly, Seto pulled away and kept the boy at an arm length's distance. He fixated a cold glare upon the other's innocent and warm eyes. "I am not Seth. Snap out of it, baka." He snapped, more embarrassed than angry, though.

The warm and candlelit room disappeared at once to go back to utter darkness, and the blonde blinked quickly. A faint blush spread across his cheeks, and he looked away. "Pardon me, my lord. I got a little carried away there…forgive me." Katsuya bowed his head as a token for his regret.

"…whatever." Seto said quickly, and released the other. Somehow touching someone with such a keen alikeness to Jou made him feel…something. Once more, that bloody mutt made him think too much. "Just lets get the trial thing going."

All of a sudden, the blonde's expression turned serious. The golden eyes turned harder, and lost their warmth. "Ah, right. But before we can start, you must know the rules of this trial."

"Rules?" Seto asked, almost smacking himself for the dumb question. Of course there'd be rules. Any game, or trial in this case, had rules. Why would a Shadow Game be any different.

"Yes…" Golden eyes glimmered. "The second the trial starts, there's no turning back. No matter what happens, the trial can not be stopped. It must go on until the end. Do you agree to this rule?"

Seto gave a short nod. That rule was quite obvious.

"And that's actually the only real rule of this." Jono said, but continued when Seto frowned. "But there are stakes you also must know..." His voice trailed off, and he fell silent.

When Jono didn't continue, Seto rose one eyebrow. "And what are those?"

"If you win, I will show you the way back to your body." There was a slight pause. "…but if you loose…your soul will be sucked into the everlasting darkness of this realm. Without any chance of rebirth, reincarnation or life." The blonde closed his eyes, and bowed his head. Once more, he spoke, voice very low and faint. "Will you accept these terms?"

Seto blinked. Lose…and his soul would forever be lost. Win, and he could go back.

Well, what else could he do? Stay in this middle world Shadow Realm until Shadow spiders started to spin Shadow web around him?

"I accept these terms." He said coldly, voice strong and void of any hesitation.

Jono opened his eyes, and looked him straight in the eye. "Then it will begin."

A bright light enveloped them.

---------

Slowly, Seto opened his eyes again, which he had closed when the light came. At seeing his surroundings, Seto could barely hold back a gasp.

He stood in front of a rather big, old looking house, with red paint on it. Or, it looked like it once had been red; the pain was now hanging off the building, more grey than red. There was many windows in the house, but they were all so small that they could almost not have been there.

This building…Seto had seen it so many times before in his nightmares, so he could not be mistaken of what it was.

The orphanage.

"It was here your life took its first turn, wasn't it, Seto?" A soft and timid voice asked him, and a hand landed on his shoulder, gently caressing. Quickly, Seto snapped his head around to glare at Jono's beautiful face.

"Why the hell are we _here_, of all places?" Seto hissed, his glare intensified with every passing second. This was a place he had hoped never to be close of ever again, a place that forever could wake his anger and hate…

"Because it was here your life began." Katsuya said, voice gentle and almost only a whisper. "It was here Seto Harada(1) died, and here you truly became Seto Kaiba."

Before Seto could speak once more, a small and childish voice which he keenly recognized called out behind him. "Big brother, why are we out here? Mrs. Lee told us to stay inside, because of the important man who would visit…" With a shocked gasp, Seto turned around.

Walking behind him, gaze turned forward, looking worriedly at someone, was a short, young boy who couldn't be older than five, with long black hair, and big grey eyes. He wore torn, old looking clothes, and could only be described as poor-looking. Seto had to rub his eyes to actually believe what he was seeing.

It was Mokuba who was walking behind him. A younger Mokuba, the one who was on the picture inside his locket.

Another voice, cold and brisk, spoke after that. "Be quiet, Mokuba. That man will be our ticket out of this hellhole they call orphanage." If possible, Seto recognized that voice even clearer. Almost dreading what he was about to see, Seto turned his gaze a little forward.

Walking with determined steps, blue eyes aimed forward, neat brown hair framing his pale face, also wearing old looking clothes was…well, himself. Seto Kaiba. Ten years old, but just the tiniest bit less cold.

"That's…me." Seto whispered, more to himself than anyone else, staring as transfixed at the boy in front of himself.

"Yes, it is." Katsuya said sadly, amber eyes also looking at the boy. "That is you, before you met Gozoburo Kaiba, and before you became Seto Kaiba, the cold hearted business man. When you were a loving big brother, and would and could do anything for Mokuba…"

"I would still do anything for Mokuba!" Seto growled, turning to glare at the blonde. "I'd die for him, I would give up Kaiba Corp, and I would travel to the sun's centre and back if it would make him happy! Do not speak of things you do not know!"

"But I _do _know, Seto Kaiba." The blonde's voice suddenly became very hard, and somewhat distant. "I know what happened in your heart, and how your heart froze from the imprisonment of your adoptive father. He melded you into the perfect CEO of Kaiba Corp; harsh, cold and without emotions." With the blonde's words, the landscape around them suddenly changed once more. Colours mixed, blurred and turned into shining vortexes around them.

When it stopped, they were standing in a dark and narrow hallway, only barely lit with a few lamps in he ceiling. Seto recognized the dark interior, and the red, lush carpet on the floor, that covered all the floor boards, which Seto knew were a dark brown oak.

They were standing in on of the many hallways of Kaiba Mansion.

"I guess you recognize this place, don't you, Seto Kaiba?" Jono's cool voice asked, just beside him.

"Of course I do." Seto replied with an annoyed tone to his voice. "I do live here, you know."

"But not on this floor; this one you have secluded from everyone, without setting a foot here since your stepfather died." Said the blonde matter-of-factly, while walking down the corridor.

The brunet's mouth fell wide open.

How did this boy know about that certain part of his life? How did he know about the secluding of that area of his mansion, because that much was true. After his stepfather died, he wanted to make sure that no one went in there, mostly because he himself got the shivers when he walked there. But how could the other possibly…

"I am inside your mind at the moment, in case you forgot." Jono said before Seto could even start to ask. "Now come; we have more to see." The boy turned a corner, disappearing from Seto's sight.

Quickly, almost fearing being left alone at this place, Seto quickly walked after, and around the corner…only to find that Jono was gone. The corridor before him was completely empty.

Groaning angrily, Seto started walking down the carpeted floor to search for the other. But before he could take more than a few steps, a muffled cry was heard. After looking around himself, Seto found that the sound came from behind the door just beside him. Slowly, Seto put his hand on the handle, and quietly pushed the door open. What he saw made his eyes widen almost to the size of Yugi's.

Sitting by a dark wooden desk, was himself again…only, a lot more younger, about twelve or so. Blue, slightly clouded eyes with grey shadows of fatigue under them, were glued to the papers on the desk, a pen in one of the small hands. Around the thin wrist of the hand, tied so tight so it was sure to leave bruises, was a chain, that was locked around a metal-bar beside the desk.

Towering beside him was a tall, large man, who Seto recognized at once as Gozoburo Kaiba. The older man was also looking at the papers on the desk, with a look of distain on his face.

"Now then, Seto…" Gozoburo said, with a silky tone that made both Seto and the younger Seto shiver with disgust. "…have you finished the task I gave you?"

"Not yet, father." The small boy whispered, voice weak with lack of food and sleep. "I need to sleep, I have been sitting here since five AM…"

A loud smack interrupted the small boy, making both him and Seto wince. A bruise was forming on the small boy's cheek, and he was close to tears when Gozoburo leaned down to his ear, breath hitting it. A breath that Seto knew smelled like whiskey.

"Finish the work. Then you will sit here a few more hours, back straight, until you understand the true meaning of being tired." With that said, Gozoburo rose, and walked out another door, that lead to his bedroom, Seto knew. The small boy bent his head down, one tear trickling down his cheek, as he rose the pen, put it to the paper, and once more started writing…

"You remember this, don't you?" Came Jono's calm voice, filled with compassion, just next to him, one warm hand suddenly resting on his shoulder.

And of course Seto remembered. The endless nights and days, that mixed together to a blur of pain and fatigue…until he almost lost his mind. The way the chain dug into his wrist when it had been on too long, too tight, the way he sometimes cried hysterically when the fatigue became too much for him to handle, and the only thing that soothed him was the sight of his brother, which was rare moments of joy and light.

But also, he remembered the feeling of hate towards that man, the way the pain made him stronger, how he got used to the fatigue, and how he used those hours of torture to figure out how he would take over Kaiba Corp, and bring Gozoburo Kaiba to his defeat. How hope of vengeance filled his mind every day…

"He broke you, Seto Kaiba. And you haven't been able to fix yourself since then, nothing has. You have remained as cold as always, even to your little brother. There is no love left in you." Jono's words stung deep in Seto's soul. But they also made him deep, damn angry. Because the blonde boy was so wrong…

Eyes set aflame with rage, Seto turned to look the blonde in the eye, and handle him the deadliest glare he had. "Broke me? Yes, perhaps that bastard did break me, but I put myself together! I managed to get my revenge, and got my life back!"

Sneering, Seto grabbed the collar of Jono's robe, and pulled him so close that their noses touched.

"And 'no love in me'? You say there is no love in me? Well, I beg to differ, you little smart-mouth. I love my little brother, more than you could ever understand! He is everything to me, if something happened to him, I would never forgive myself." Seto hissed. "I might act cold to him, but my heart remains as warm to him as always! Get that, you ignorant punk?!" Seto panted heavily after his outburst of anger.

The smile that suddenly formed on Jono's lips gave Seto the impression of that he had just been tricked somehow. "It is good to hear you say that, Seto. If you hadn't cared, you wouldn't have argued with me. You have passed the first test."

Seto stared at the blonde before him, mouth hanging open and blue eyes wide with confusion. "…I…passed the first test?"

"Yes." Jono nodded, the smile still very visible on his face. "The first test of the first one you have in your heart; Mokuba. Your little brother."

For once, Seto actually felt speechless. So…that was the first test? Proving that he loved Mokuba? Huh, he hoped that the rest of the tests would prove equally easy. "O…kay. So what is the next test? And how many are there, exactly?" Seto asked curiously.

Jono smiled. "Two. There are two tests. You finished the first, we have only one left…you have to prove who that carries that second part of your heart…"

Seto rose one delicate eyebrow. "But I love none other than Mokuba."

The golden eyes of the other gave a strange glow for a second. "Yes, you do, actually. I…"

"Let me guess, you can see it in my heart?" Seto asked, feeling very annoyed at that moment.

A slanted smile spread over Jono's lips as he nodded, blonde hair following the fluent movement. "Exactly. And you must find that person too before you can leave…" Jono's voice once more became distant, and their surroundings changed once more.

----------

Seto slowly opened his eyes, looking around himself. A surprised look entered his eyes as he looked around himself in amazement.

He was standing in the middle of the schoolyard of Domino High, looking out over the vast landscape of…well, pavement. Whoopie. But…why the hell was he here, of all places?!

"Because," Jono's calm voice said beside him, "it is here we will find the second person within your heart."

Jumping slightly with surprise, Seto turned around quickly to stare at the tanned boy next to him. Quickly gathering his composure again and settling a glare to the other, he spoke. "Oh really? The other person who I supposedly love is here. In this school?"

"Yes." Jono nodded.

"Could you be any more vague?" Seto asked dryly, before turning to the large school-building. "So, how am I supposed to find 'the one who carries the second piece of my heart?"

"Ah, but that," The light voice of Jono said, becoming distant. "is for you to find out by yourself. This will be the real test for you. You have an hour to find who the person you love is, and find them. You'll know who it is when you see them…I can only wish you good luck, Seto Kaiba." A soft, whooshing sound was heard behind him, and Seto turned his head around again.

There was no one there anymore.

Groaning with major annoyance, Seto turned back to the school, glaring at it as if it was to be blamed for all of his troubles. "Oh, well this is going to be just peachy." He growled, stalking up to the school with long, angry strides. "'Find the one you love, you have an hour, good luck'…damn that blonde ignorant kid."

Continuing to growl angrily, Seto threw the doors of the school open, starting down the crowded corridors. He threw glances from side to side, tying to find any type of hint of who the mystery person might be.

Honestly, shouldn't this be an easy tests? To find the second person he loved, that sounded easy enough. Only problem was; Seto was quite sure that he loved no one other but Mokuba. There was no one else he cared for and would do life-threatening things for.

"Oh, Kaiba-kun! Hold up, wait a second!" A light voice called out behind him, making him quickly turn around. Hey, weren't he supposed to be invisible here?! He had been in both his past vision…thingies. At seeing who it was that was running up towards him, Seto almost groaned.

"_What, that kid follows me even to the Shadow Realm to preach friendship to me?!" _The brunet mentally screamed to himself as he saw Yugi Mouto run towards him, a grand smile on his lips, violet eyes shimmering.

"What, Mouto?" Seto asked crossly as Yugi stopped in front of him. "Is there something special you want to tell me, or…" The CEO stopped himself when a sudden suspicion reached him.

Could…Yugi be the second holder of his heart? Well, there was a certain bond between them, of course, but he had only thought it was about rivalry…could there be something else? Sure, he cared for the kid, and wouldn't cheer for his death, but…if that was love, it was sure a mediocre feeling.

"I was told to give this to you!" Yugi chirped happily, interrupting his thoughts, pushing a piece of paper into his hand. "Good bye, and good luck, Kaiba-kun!" After saying this, Yugi skipped away towards a classroom door, opened it and went inside.

…well, at least it wasn't Yugi then. Good thing, seeing that Yami would kill him. But what the hell was up with this piece of paper? Curiously, Seto opened the neatly folded paper, and looked down on the equally neat and flowing handwriting.

_When you seek _

_The one you love_

_You are always _

_One step behind_

_LB-_

Seto rose one dignified eyebrow, continuously staring at the piece of paper. So…this meant what? Was it a riddle, perhaps? A very strange and weird riddle, in that case. One step behind? One step behind of _what?! _

Feeling more than slightly agitated, Seto started to stomp through the corridors again, scowling at anyone who dared to look at him. And, just as in the real world, people cowered, and hid behind each other, or just squeaked. Aah, the power of fear…

"OH DEAR GOD; IT'S SETO KAIBA!" A loud squeal erupted from not far away, making Seto turn around.

At the end of the corridor behind him stood the most horrible sight he had ever seen. They were some of the most feared creatures in the universe, symbols of infinite pain and suffering, absolute evil, and even worse than pop-ups…

Fangirls. Over thirty of them, all standing at the end of that corridor, looking at him with drools dripping down their chins, and eyes big with wonder and devotion.

"Oh, shit." After that statement, Seto turned around, and ran as fast as he could down the corridor to his left, all the way hearing the crazed squeals of the girls behind him. At the last minute before the girls turned the corner, Seto threw open a random door, and rushed in.

Behind the door, Seto panted heavily as he heard the girls stampede past the door. Even to the mother fucking SHADOW REALM, fangirls stalked him?! How the hell did that make any sense?

A hand suddenly fell on his shoulder, along with a soft voice. "Ah, I have been looking for you, Kaiba-kun…" Jumping high, Seto turned around, fully ready to kill whoever that just had touched him.

Blinking curiously, stood Ryou Bakura, staring at him like he was insane. Which he probably looked in that moment. "Um…are you quite alright, Kaiba-kun? You seem quite tense."

Seto gave a short nod, and glared at the other. "Yes, I am fine. Just suffered from a heart attack, but otherwise, I feel just fine!" Seto would have yelled some more, if his mouth hadn't just become paralysed.

Once more, Seto got the scary thought he had had earlier; could it be Ryou who was the second holder of his heart? This guy didn't annoy him quite as much as the rest of Yugi's fan-squad, but that was mostly because he was such a quiet and shy kid.

And, sure, Ryou was quite a something to look at…and sure he was sweet and kind…but love between himself and the quiet British accented kid? Not bloody likely!

…wait, did he just say 'bloody', one of the most British curses ever?

"Oh, I am deeply sorry, Kaiba-kun." Ryou quickly apologized, and pulled out a white paper from his pocket. "Before I forget; I was told to give this to you. I wish you the best of luck, and a smashing afternoon!" Smiling sweetly, Ryou walked out of the classroom, closing the door firmly behind him.

Feeling relief wash over him over that Ryou wasn't the secret love of his life (Bakura would have tortured him, killed him, resurrected him, tortured him some more and then killed him again if he had), Seto turned his attention towards the small, white paper he had just received.

_Letters are_

_Just letters_

_It's what order you_

_Put them in_

_That matters_

_-UTV-_

Groaning with deep annoyance, Seto shoved the paper in the same pocket as the last one. Great, another one of those idiotic riddles. What the hell were they supposed to mean anyway? Did the actually have a meaning, or were the Gods just playing a trick on him?

Realising that he was just wasting time sitting around in the dusty classroom instead of searching for his heart's true match, Seto turned to the door and cautiously opened it. After making sure that there were no fangirls in the corridor, Seto exited the room to walk down the corridor.

After having checked three more classrooms for leads (only to get yelled at by teachers for interrupting class –seriously, even in the Shadow Realm?-) Seto started to get mildly annoyed. So mildly annoyed in fact, that he had to kick down a trashcan in his way.

The stupid trashcan was asking for it anyway.

Where the hell could that person be? Or even better question; WHO the hell could that person be? So far, Seto had only been walking around aimlessly, and wasted almost half of the time he had. He was about to kick down another trashcan, when a rough hand landed on his shoulder.

"Oi, Kaiba!" A gruff voice said, making Seto snap his head around to glare at the person behind him.

There stood Honda, glaring at him in quite the same manner, only that his glare wasn't even close as intense as Seto's. For a moment, all Seto could do was stare at the other brunet. Then one thought progressed through his mind.

"_Oh, hell NO!" _This time, he wouldn't even stop to think about it; there was nothing attractive about that damned guy anyway, and nothing about his personality made him interested. Seto knew that it wasn't Honda, he had never even looked twice at him.

"What the hell do you want, shark-hair?" Seto growled, feeling very irritated at the other for a moment.

Scowling at the insult, the brunet threw a creased piece of paper on him. "I was told to give you this, moneybags. And now I'm leaving!" Honda turned around, and left with his head held up high.

Sending one last devastating glare after Honda, Seto bent down to retrieve the paper the other had thrown at him. "Oh my, I wonder what this is…" Seto muttered in a bored tone, before opening the creased paper, and looking at the text.

_God damnit, just change the letters with the letter before in the alphabet, you moron! That way, you will find the name of the person you love. God damnit, how dense are you?! Jeez…  
LB-UTV-ZB (by the way, you have to remove the '-' signs too. Moron.)_

Seto frowned at the paper. How dared that insignificant paper insult him that way? He wasn't dense, not in the slightest! …okay, maybe a little. But not that much!

Huffing, Seto started to do as the paper had instructed; he changed the letters on the paper for the one coming before in the alphabet. Seeing that he was a genius, it only took him a few seconds. Hah, who could call him dense now…

Blue eyes widened at the name that now stood clearly written inside his mind.

The paper fluttered to the ground from his numb fingertips.

Seto now stood completely still, hands hanging limply by his sides, and his eyes staring out emptily in front of him. His head was spinning with the new information, and his heart beat faster with the rush of adrenaline that was flowing through him.

Why was the name on the paper affecting him that much?

Because he knew it was true. He was in love with…Seto couldn't finish the thought.

Huh, so this was how it felt to get the truth thrown in your face…

"Kaiba?" A hand waved in front of his eyes, shaking him out of his stupor.

Standing there with a worried gaze, was Jou. His amber eyes blinked curiously up at him, blonde hair almost covering them completely. He wore the same blue school uniform as usual, the white shirt creased like always.

"Kaiba?" The blonde repeated when the brunet only stared at him, now sounding a little bit nervous. "Are you okay? Kai-"

The letters flashed before his eyes for a moment. Lb-utv-zb. Ka-Tsu-Ya. Katsuya.

"You…" Seto breathed, his mind feeling empty for the moment. In that moment, Seto could truthfully say that it was his own mind that was speaking, without his natural sense stopping him. "I…I think I might be in love with you, Katsuya Jounouchi."

If one would say that the blonde looked mildly shocked with the confession, one wouldn't be exaggerating. "You…You what?" Jou whispered, taking one step backwards, amber eyes wide.

For once, Seto couldn't stop himself from acting out of impulse. The brunet grabbed the blonde's forearms and pushed him into the row of locker behind him, causing the other to gasp in pain and shock. Then he leaned forward, to look deep into Jou's amber eyes.

"I said, I think I am in love with you, Katsuya." Seto repeated, still standing eerily close to the blonde.

Seto's heart pounded loudly inside his ribcage while he stared into the honey coloured pools of Jou's eyes. Emotions that he had never felt before was floating through him as he smelled the other's lovely scent, along with a life's worth of adrenaline.

It now finally dawned to him. All those times he had caught himself thinking strange things while being near Katsuya, all those times he found himself smiling when the blonde did something cute, and why he had reacted so strongly to Jou's touch.

He had always known that there had been something special between him and the blonde. There had always been some sort of connection, a strong feeling, and a strange sort of pull on his heart to get closer to Jou. And lately, that pull and those special things had shown more often.

First, he had been jealous. Twice, in a very short time span; when Seth came and kissed the blonde, and when that Sam guy had showed up, claiming to be Jou's old boyfriend. Both times, he had been fuming with anger.

Then, he had been acting caring towards the blonde. Several times. Like on the bus to the water palace, the Nile. He had been playing with Jou's hair all the way there, and all the way back…and how could he have possibly resisted? Jou just looked so cute when he slept, and his hair had been so silky…

And then that kiss Jou had given him…that kiss that left him tingling and warm, and that made him shiver every time he thought about it…and it had only been on his cheek too! It had been one of the best experiences of his life (even if it sounded pretty pathetic.) and still left him thinking back at the moment with warmth in his heart.

In the past, Seto had thought he hated the blonde. He hadn't been able to even look at the blonde for too long, because it made his blood boil with, what he thought to be, anger. Everything about him annoyed him; the way he talked, the way he moved and the way he would yell and argue with Seto.

But now…those things were things he had started to like a great deal.

Also, if he hated Jou, why would he go through so much trouble so save him? Twice now in a short time span, Seto had helped and saved Jou. In the water palace, he had caught him when he fell, and carried him out from the sauna when he fainted, and in the Shadow Realm, where he had put himself in the way of a Blue Eyes's attack in order to save him. Which only had ended him up in the bloody Shadow Realm…

Even before Seth came, Seto had felt strongly for Jou. Then anger and such, but even though he insulted the blonde a lot…he at least gave him his attention. He insulted Yugi too, but that was because of the rivalry between them. Jou was the only of Yugi's friend to which he paid more attention to.

To summarize; Seto now knew who that carried that 'second piece of his heart'. It was Jou, and Jou alone, who did. And he hoped that Jou felt the same way.

Smiling ever so slightly, Seto leaned forward to the blonde he held pressed up against the lockers. "You know what, Katsuya? It isn't I think I love you. I know I do. And if you don't mind," Seto put one hand under the other's chin, tilting his blushing face up. "I am going to kiss you now." And so he did.

Or at least he tried.

Seconds before his lips would press against the lovely blonde's, he suddenly found himself standing in the dark abyss of The Shadow Realm once more, lips meeting nothing but thin air.

"What the FUCK?!" Seto groaned, slapping his forehead. For a second, he had forgotten just where he was…

"Congratulations, Seto Kaiba." Droned the soft voice of Jono behind him, making him turn around. "You have passed the second and final test of your heart…"

"Why the hell wouldn't you let me kiss Jou?!" Seto hissed to the blonde, grabbing his shoulders tightly, feeling like he could punch the other's face in for disrupting his wonderful fantasy. Maybe a little bit out of character, but hell; he was angry!

Smiling ever so slightly, Jono gently removed the hands from his shoulders. "Because, your dream can come true in real life, Seto Kaiba, thus you have no need to fulfil it here."

His dream could…come true? …what the hell was that supposed to mean? To make that kiss come true, he would need to kiss Jou in real life, and…

Suddenly, Seto felt his jaws fall open in a very undignified way.

Snickering, Katsuya took Seto's hand and started to drag him forward. "Come on, I promised I would bring you back when you finished the tests. You have completed them perfectly, even if your mind had to give you a few clues at the last one…"

Seeing that Seto found nothing to say to respond to that, he simply followed.

After walking approximately five minutes, Jono suddenly stopped, turning around to Seto with a smile. "Well, here we are. Your stop."

Seto looked around himself. There was nothing, not a door, no way out; only darkness, darkness and some darker darkness. "…here we are, where?"

The blonde stepped to the side. "The way back for you."

Behind Jono, there was a hole. It was so deep that Seto couldn't make out the bottom, or even faintly see anything else but darkness.

Confused, he turned to the smiling boy. "…and…what am I supposed to do now exactly?"

Jono blinked cutely. "Why, jump of course. What did you think?" This, he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Jump?!" Seto howled, instinctively taking a step backwards, away from the hole. "Down there? Are you fucking mad?! The last time I checked, people died when they jumped down deep holes and such!"

Jono once more rolled his eyes. "Oh, quit being so melodramatic. It's not a _real_ hole, it's only a projection of your mind. Don't you know that people tend to wake up from dreams and such when they fall?"

…somehow, Seto actually found some logic in what Jono said.

"I…see." Cautiously, Seto took a few steps towards the edge. After getting there, he just looked down. Dark…so dark...Seto had never really liked darkness. Or heights, for that matter. (which made it sort of illogical to have a tournament on a blimp in the middle of the night…) But if it was what it took to wake up again…

Just before Seto could jump, Jono grabbed his arm, and Seto turned to look at him with a risen eyebrow. The golden eyes of the other was completely serious when he spoke.

"Seto, you must soon grab what you desire." He said sternly. "Jou won't be there forever; others will try to take him if you don't."

Seto felt his blood boil strangely when the blonde said this. The mere thought of Jou with anyone but himself made him angry and feel strange…

"I'll remember that." Seto muttered, turning to jump. Right before he could take that last step, he heard Jono's soft voice utter one last sentence.

"Tell Seth I love him for me…"

And then there was nothing but darkness once more.

**End Chapter!!!**

…-wails- Yes, know! This chapter was so short and suckish, but please be nice to me! I've had so much trouble with this thing! Next chapter will be so, so, SO much better! PROMISE!

And the next chapter…will take a while! But you have to understand, I have so much to do over here right now, and I have things to work out. (with my so called friends, for example…-growls-

Now then, pleased leave me a review, and I'll try to update as soon as I can!

-The Blonde Midget


	15. Confessions Of The Heart

Uum…okay, is it even worth to apologize at this point? --; 

Yes, I am terribly sorry that the chapters are coming so slow, and that this one was so very much delayed…but hey, it came anyway, right? …right? Everyone is happy for that, right? …oh, come on!

Well, thank you all who has given me reviews, they have made me want to write more than anything else! And I have replied to every review I could! (some aren't signed, so…yeah ;P) But anyway…THANK YOU ALL MY WONDERUL REVIEWERS:D

Thanks you melody who has given me so many ideas, and has been able to stand all my long ramblings over how pissed I have been on people…you are great!

And so are all of you who wished me luck with my friends, and everyone who kept telling me this is good! It's only because of my reviewers I keep going, ya'know…and, well, because I like to write…;

Anyway! Lets get the story going:D

Disclaimer: No, do not own Yu-Gi-Oh…yet! But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Mako! (Mako: I'm a crazy fishguy! Give The Blonde Midget Yu-Gi-Oh, or I'll throw this spear on you! –waves spear in the lawyers faces-

Lawyers: …-breaks the spear in half-) Aaw…-pouts- And I thought it would work this time…

Pairings: Seto/Jou, Seth/Jono, Yamis/Hikaris, some Honda/Otogi, later on!

Warnings: Boy/Boy love, which I still think has no use for a warning. Some lovedovey OOC acting…but still!

Okay…story starts! READ AND ENJOY! –gets shushed at by the readers-

**Chapter 15**

**Normal POV**

Seto groaned slightly, and his eyelids fluttered. Slowly, ever so slowly, he opened his eyes half way and squinted slightly. He groaned once more when bright light shone into his eyes, making him shut them on reflex. When his eyes were starting to get used to the brightness around him, he opened his eyes half way.

The ceiling above him was white, in a way that unnerved him. Why?

Because the ceiling in his own bedroom was dark blue.

Quickly snapping his eyes open all the way, Seto started to check out his surroundings more carefully.

The room he was in was small, way small, barely six square metre's in area, not anything like his own room that was at least ten times the size of this. In a corner, there was a desk, with a small lamp on it, and many papers with unknown things written on them. An uncomfortable looking chair stood by the desk. It was green, and very old looking.

Almost just next to the desk, was a wardrobe, which reached to the short ceiling. It was white, and looked very cheap in Seto's expert opinion. In another corner, there was a whitish drawer (and I say whitish, because it couldn't with a clean conscience be called completely white), also looking very cheap.

There were no other furniture in the room, save the bed he was laying in. A bed which wasn't very comfortable either...but the sheets were clean, luckily. And so was the room; no matter how small and crammed it seemed, it was still clean and rather neat.

But where the hell was he?

In that moment, the door to the room opened, and Seto looked up quickly.

Standing in the doorway, was Jou. His brown eyes were wide with surprise, slightly hidden under long, blonde strands of hair, when he saw the brunet staring back at him. In his hands, he balanced a tray with food on it; a bowl of deliciously smelling soup and a glass of milk.

But the brunet's focus wasn't on the tray. It was on the blonde himself.

Jou wore a pair of loose, black pants, that hung low on his hips, revealing the creamy skin around his hipbone. Over that, Jou wore a white t-shirt, that was about two sizes too big, and the collar of it hung slightly over his right shoulder.. Jou's hair was even messier than usual, like he had just woken up.

Seto couldn't help but to stare at the blonde. Had Jou always had such a hot body? Or had he just not noticed before?

...hot body? What the hell? Just when did he turn into a hormone driven teenager?!

"Kaiba!" Jou said with a slight mile, wrenching Seto out of his state of staring, the blonde clearly relieved that he was awake. He put the tray on the desk and pulled the green chair over to the bed to sit down by his side. "Are you okay?" Worry was shown in Jou's big, and beautiful, amber eyes.

That question made Seto suddenly very aware of how he really felt. His whole body felt tense, and ached in strange places. His chest and stomach area were worst, closely followed by his head which seemingly wanted to explode into many little pieces.

"Define 'okay'..." The brunet groaned, trying to sit up. But stopping upon feeling the way his chest felt in that moment; like his heart and other organs would fall out if he dared to sit up. Seeing that he very much liked where those organs were, he remained laying. "Where am I?"

"My house." Jou said, making it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "My room, to be precise. We...well, Seth and me, brought you here after we got out of the Shadow Realm with you and Sam...Yami and Bakura took Sam with them, by the way. Said it would be best if he wasn' anywhere near me when he woke up, jus' in case if Hatoc still managed to hold on a little bit, and..."

"Don't you ever shut up?" Seto interrupted him, glaring at the rambling blonde. "You're giving me a headache."

Jou snapped his mouth shut, and glared straight back at him, actually seeming a bit hurt. "Hey! I've been takin' care of your sorry ass the past two days, and dis is the thanks I get? Well, ya're very welcome!" Angered, Jou rose to leave.

A hand suddenly grabbed Jou's wrist tightly, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"...you've…been taking care of me?" The question was spoken lowly, almost silently, with disbelief clearly visible in the normally strong voice. Jou glanced over his shoulder.

Seto was sitting up in the bed, holding his wrist in a tight grip, seemingly not ready to let go anytime soon. The blue eyes were cold as usual, but seemed somewhat softer, in a way that turned Jou's insides to gush.

Jou turned around slowly, and sat down again. A slight blush rose to his cheeks under the intense gaze of the brunet CEO, and he nodded. "Yeah...y-ya have been unconscious for almost two days now...and, well, someone had to take care of you, right?" Jou laughed nervously, and looked away.

The CEO kept his face emotionless, even though his insides kept feeling funny. Something like how you would feel if you have eaten a large bowl of chilli and a Coca-cola Light.

"You could have sent me home to Mokuba. Or to a hospital, for that matter." Seto pointed out, rising an eyebrow.

The blush got deeper on Jou's cheeks upon realising those options(which honestly would have been better for the CEO, but still...) "Well...ya know...I thought tha' ya wouldn' want Mokuba to know about all this...and a hospital would ask too many questions...plus, it could have been all over the news by now."

Seto pondered on Jou's statements for a while, before smirking. "You have thought about this quite much, haven't you, pup? I am flattered that you would care that much about my well-being."

The red on Jou's face had now spread all out to his ears, which gave him a very tomato-ish look. A very cute tomato (Seto refused to admit he had just thought that, shaddap.).

"S-Shut up, Kaiba..." Suddenly, Jou came to think of something, and his face lit up. "Oh, wait, are you hungry?"

Before Seto could answer, his stomach did it for him. By rumbling quite loud. Quite loud as in, a ten on the Richter scale.

When Jou chuckled, Seto glared heatedly at him and crossed his arms to show that he wasn't in the least amused. The action that was meant to make Jou stop giggling and scurry off in fear, instead resulted in a full out giggle attack from the blonde, who had to put his hands over his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud.

"Aw, Kaiba, don't give me that look!" Jou said joyfully, and giggled a little more.

"Then stop laughing already, mutt."

"Can't help tha' ya look all funny when ya do tha'...an' I'm no mutt, Rich boy! Do I _look_ like a mutt to you?" When the CEO only smirked as an answer, Jou scowled and went over to the desk to fetch the tray. "Anyway...I didn' have much food left in the fridge, but I managed to cook some chicken soup for ya..."

"You _cooked?" _Seto interrupted, with clear surprise visible in his voice.

Jou glared at the CEO and put down the tray, not too gently, into his lap. "Yes, cooked. I know how to cook, Kaiba. Stop sounding so amazed; it's not like I'm walking on water or somethin'..."

Smirking slightly, Seto lifted the spoon in the soup. "Well, I just hope that I don't find any doggie bone in the soup, Jounouchi." Carefully, he put a spoonful of soup in his mouth, chewed the few vegetables and chicken pieces, and then swallowed.

"...well?" Jou asked casually, looking at the CEO, who had an unreadable look on his face. "Was it any good?"

"..." Seto took another spoon of soup and ate it slowly, without answering. The second spoon was soon followed by a third, and a fourth and a fifth...still, the brunet kept quiet, and ignored Jou's continuous pries to know how he liked the soup.

Honestly, Seto had never been a fan of soup. The way it turned the food within it all soft and slimy often made his skin curl, and he would normally refuse to eat more than a spoon. Unless if it was Mokuba who had made it, of course. Then he'd eat a whole bucket of it, no matter how horribly it tasted, just to make his little brother happy.

But this soup...somehow, it actually tasted...fine. The texture of the chicken and vegetables weren't slimy, they were just slightly softer than usual, and the spices within the soup made it's share of making it taste good too.

Soon, Seto had emptied the bowl, and put it back down on the tray, and drank up the last of the milk. Then he turned to Jou, face void of emotion. "...I hate to admit it, but you're actually a good chef, Jounouchi." Seto said, feeling like biting his tongue for saying it.

The way Jou's face lit up with a happy smile, however, made Seto un-bite his tongue and change his mind. Suddenly, complimenting the blonde felt very good. Maybe he should do it more often…as long as he got a smile like that back for it, it would be worth it.

"Thank you, Kaiba!" Jou chirped, lifting the tray from the bed. "I'm glad ya liked it. There's more if you want some..." A hopeful look showed on Jou's face for a second, to fade away really fast.

"I…" Seto hesitated. Asking for more soup would make Jou stay with him a little longer, keeping him by his side while he ate. It would perhaps make Jou smile like earlier. Then again, Seto didn't need any more soup; he wasn't hungry anymore. He really didn't need any more food.

Dejected when the CEO didn't continue his sentence, Jou rose slowly, a very disappointed look on his face, and in his amber eyes. "But, um…you don't have to. I mean…if you don't want…"

"...I think I'd like that." Seto interrupted him, without even thinking twice.

A smile once more spread across Jou's face, and he happily made his way out to the kitchen to get some more soup for his visitor. "Okay! I'll be right back!" And he closed the door behind him with a soft click.

Sighing, Seto leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. Why the hell did he do that now? Now, he would have to eat more food, and no mater how good it was, he just wasn't very hungry, and would probably have to force it down. He never ate much at other times either. So, why?!

Jou's smiling face flashed before his eyes for a moment, with the large, amber eyes that expressed so much happiness when he said he wanted more soup, and said it was good, and the way his whole being seemed to glow with just that happy expression...

Ah, right. That.

---------

Happily humming on a tune, Jou skipped into the kitchen, and up to the large bowl where he had served the soup in after making it. Swiftly, he poured up a portion of soup, filling up about half the bowl. Then he put it in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up.

Since the three of them had returned from the Shadow Realm, Jou had been worried sick for Seto. The way his skin had been all pale and cold, and the way he refused to wake up, no matter what he or Seth did…it had scared him to death.

For two days in a row, Jou had been sitting hours straight by the CEO's side, refusing to move one inch, no matter how much Seth would beg him to do so. Jou was just too concerned with the other's health.

Well, now he was awake, finally…and the heavy weight that had been on Jou's chest had finally disappeared. And along with it disappearing, a strange feeling had started to grow in his chest every time he watched Seto…a strange, warm and nice feeling…which Jou really didn't mind…

Jou blushed slightly, but still kept grinning like a fool. Yup, life was definitely good right now.

"Someone seems in an awful good mood." Came an amused statement behind him, and Jou quickly turned around.

Seth was leaning on a counter behind him, grinning like the Cheshire cat. The brown hair was messy, hanging slightly over his tanned face, and charming blue eyes. His clothes were simple; a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt.

Jou blushed slightly, and turned back to the microwave. "Kaiba woke up." He said, pointedly ignoring the other man's statement.

A low chuckle was heard from behind him. "Aah, so that's what made you so cheerful?" Right then, Jou could just _hear _the smirk on Seth's face.

Still blushing, Jou opened the door to the microwave, and quickly pulled out the bowl of soup to put it on the tray. "N-No...I'm jus' normally happy...ya know, same ol' cheerful Jou!" Jou gave a nervous laugh, promptly keeping his gaze away from Seth.

"Uhu…I'm sure you are…" Seth drawled, still smirking endlessly. "That's aaall, yes I see…nothing special about it…"

Ignoring the sarcasm Jou could feel from the other's statement, he picked up the tray with the soup once more, starting off towards his bedroom. "Well, I'm gonna go give Kaiba his soup; you play nice out here."

"Good luck, Katsuya!" Seth called out after him, still grinning wickedly. "Just don't go do something I wouldn't do!"

Blushing furiously at the hidden under meaning in that sentence, Jou rushed into the confines of his bedroom. "Stupid, idiotic guy, being all smartass-ish…" Jou muttered to himself, walking up to the bed where the brunet waited.

Seto rose one dignified eyebrow at this statement, but decided not to ask. He wasn't sure if the answer would be one that he would like.

So, instead of asking just who (or what) Jou was calling smartass-ish, Seto accepted the tray with soup on his lap with a low 'thanks' and started eating once more. Though this time, he ate slower, and tried to enjoy the food as much as he possibly could, while Jou watched him silently from where he sat on the edge of the bed.

Soon, the soup was once more out, and Seto put down his spoon in the empty bowl, with a low clink, and Jou carried the tray to the desk in the room, soon coming back to sit on the bed's edge again. After that, there was only silence, and nervous glances. Both were waiting for the other to speak, but didn't dare to say anything themselves, out of fear to say something stupid.

Finally, both decided to speak up. At the exact same time.

"So, what…" Seto started.

"Kaiba, after…" Jou started too, but fell silent at once, at the same time as Seto.

"You can go first." Jou said softly, blushing slightly.

Nodding, Seto spoke. "I just wanted to know…how did you…or, well, we get out of the Shadow Realm?" He looked expectantly at the blonde, waiting for him to answer.

Jou blinked, and then seemed to think a bit. "Well, I dunno…Seth just opened this portal, and we jumped out, I s'ppose. I wasn't really paying attention, one minute we were in the Shadow Realm, and the next Yami was all over us, asking us if we were okay." Jou paused. "After that, Seth told Bakura and Yami to take Sam to the Game shop, and we carried you here." The blonde shrugged. "And the rest wasn' tha' interestin'. Seth slept for a whole day, and you were unconscious up'til now. And I…" Once more, Jou paused.

"And you?" Seto asked, rising an eyebrow at the unfinished sentence.

Face now coloured in a pretty pink, Jou looked to the side, away from Kaiba, to inspect a stain on the floor. "A-And I…sat here all the while, waitin' for ya to wake up…" The sentence was muttered under one single breath, rushed, but still very much audible.

At that answer, Seto was left stunned. "You…what?" He asked, wanting to get what he just heard confirmed. Because it was very possible that he could have misheard, that he had been momentarily deaf…

Once more, Jou muttered out the sentence, this time a bit louder, but still very fast. "I said; I sat here watchin' ya while ya were unconscious." The blush burned his cheeks, and Jou suddenly wished he had never let Seto ask him that question.

Seto was quiet for a while, contemplating this. Jou had actually been there by his side for days in a row, sitting on that seemingly uncomfortable chair, just to see when he'd wake up? That would mean…that Jou at least cared a little for him. Huh. What a strange realisation.

Suddenly, a smirk grew on Seto's lips, and he looked at the blonde with teasing eyes. "Just like a good little dog." He snickered at the thought; an image of Jou in a dog costume, sitting on the floor next to his bed, looking up at him with amber eyes clear in his head.

With an angry scowl, Jou glared at the snickering brunet. "Hey, I'm no dog! I was just worried about ya, you ass! Stop laughing, damnit!"

At seeing that cute, angry expression on Jou's face that just made him look even more like a puppy, Seto's snickering turned to full edged laughing. Not one of his crazy 'I-have-this-awesome-scheme-to-beat-Yugi-in-a-duel' laughs, or his sarcastic and cold 'I-am-better-than-you-so-fuck-off-laughs…no, it was a real, warm, laugh, full of joy and amusement.

At that sound, Jou's scowl fell, and he felt his heart make an awkward jump in his chest at the sight of the happily laughing Seto. The way that his face seemed to soften in that laugh, and how his eyes sparkled with amusement made Jou feel weird, but in a good way. And it made a smile, a sincere smile, crawl to his face.

It was…nice. Jou liked this side of Seto, that no one but Mokuba had ever seen. To see him laugh like a normal teenager, and to see him happy instead of cold and uncaring. It made Jou happy to know that the CEO actually was comfortable enough to laugh like that around him.

It was nice. Really nice.

Suddenly, Seto stopped laughing, to look at Jou with a serious face. "Well, you had a question too, right?"

Jou blinked, violently pulled from his ponderings of the other's laughs. It took his brain (Which was a little rusty) a few seconds to comprehend what Seto just had said. "Oh! Right, um…" He paused. "This is such a stupid question, though,"

Seto rose an eyebrow and smirked. "I wasn't expecting anything else from you, pup." Once more, Seto found himself thoroughly amused.

And once more, Jou found himself flustered with embarrassment.

"But, feel free to ask your question now, pup. I will answer, no matter how stupid it is." Seto added after some thought.

"Oh, shut up…" Jou muttered, crossing his arms and huffing. "I jus' wanted to ask…well…did ya dream somethin' while ya were out?"

That question gave Seto a very clear flashback of his little adventure in the Shadow Realm;

To be precise, a flashback of himself leaning in to kiss a cutely blushing blonde.

With that picture, came a flush of blood flowing to Seto's face. Luckily enough, Seto learned long ago how to stop such flowing of blood to his face (or, a blush as normal people call it), using only his mind, so no red colour came to his face. So, all that was needed now was a smart and know-it-all answer.

"Nothing interesting." Seto deadpanned.

Or, it was meant to be a deadpan. But the slight tone of uncertainness made the deadpan loose all it's edge at once. Pretty much like a cheap knife you buy from TV-shop.

Jou grinned. "So, ya _did_ dream something!" Suddenly feeling overly curious, in a way that only could be defined as bad, Jou leaned closer to Seto, so they were nose to nose. "Come on, tell me…I won't tell anyone!" Just like a puppy, Jou started to beg with his eyes.

Puppyeyes, my friends, is the ultimate weapon to get what you want. Especially if the person you perform them on has a slight infatuation for you. Not that Seto had an infatuation for Jou. Of course not. Just because he thinks about him all the time, and calls him cute nicknames. Feh. Whatever gave you THAT silly idea?

Once more, Seto had to applaud himself not for breaking, and blushing like mad while Jou sat so close to himself. Instead of performing such an out of character act, Seto settled for a mid-level glare at the other; not one of his death glares that had people crying for their mommies, and not a friendly look. He just looked like he wasn't affected.

"Why would I tell you about any dream that I might, or might not, have had?" Seto asked coldly, careful not to lean closer or away from the other. The first would perhaps hurt Jou (somehow, he had no idea why) and the second would most likely end in some very nice, physical bonding, normal people call a kiss.

Jou rolled his eyes at the cryptic answer. That was so much like Seto; never give a straight answer, because it could be used against him. Then, Jou used the puppyeyes again, and started to bat his eyelashes.

"Aw, come on, Kaiba! Tell me what you dreamt! Please?"

"No." Seto started to feel uncomfortable. It wasn't easy to maintain a cold look when a cute blonde was sitting only two or three inches from his face. 'Specially when he was performing puppyeyes worthy enough to compete with Mokuba's or even Yugi's.

"Pretty please?" Jou added extra sparkle to his honey brown eyes, and tried to widen them cutely.

"…no." Seto's left eyebrow twitched.

"Pretty please, with sugar on top?" Pouty lip added to the arsenal of Jou's full on cute attack.

"…I don't like sugar." The brunet's eyebrow twitched yet again.

"Aw, come on, Kaiba!" Jou cried out, a small tinge of a whine in his voice. "Please tell me? Please, please, please, please, please…"

Seto's eyebrow twitched again.

"…please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, pl-"

"I'm not going to change my answer just because you chant 'please', you idiot." Seto interrupted, hoping to get Jou to shut up.

Alas, he did not.

"-lease, please, please, please, please, please, please, please…"

"Oh, just shut up, you dog!" Seto finally snapped, a flash of anger going through his eyes. "I won't tell you what I might have dreamt, so just knock it off before I strangle you!" The brunet panted slightly after his little outburst, falling back on the pillows behind him.

Jou blinked. Then his amber eyes narrowed. "Well, tha's nice. First ya save me from certain death, then you threaten to kill me? Maybe you should make up your mind?!"

Growling, Seto sat back up, only one inch from the other once more. "And maybe you should be more grateful that I _did _save your life? I could have just let that maniac kill you off!"

"Speaking of that!" The blonde glared even harder at the other under his messy bangs. "You didn't have to save me in the first place, playin' friggin' prince in shining armour, and risking yer own life in the process! TWICE! _It's hard to see someone you care for get hurt, so stop putting yourself in danger for me-!"_ Gasping, Jou slammed his hands in front of his mouth, eyes widening at what he had just screamed out.

"What?" Seto said, voice very low, but still audible. And so very cold.

"…!" Jou kept his hands firmly over his mouth, quickly looking away from the stoic brunet.

'Someone you care for?'

Jou hadn't realised what he had said, until just after he said it. It hadn't meant to come out. But…Jou did care a lot for Seto. More than a lot, actually. He cared ridiculously much about the welfare of the other. Sometimes…he cared more about Seto than anyone else he knew.

Like there, in the Shadow Realm. When Seto had been hit by lightning, just lying there, cold and almost dead. He had cared more about Seto's condition than Seth's, so that he even forgot to ask Seth if he was alright.

But it shouldn't have come out. Because now…Seto would wonder why Jou cared, and then Jou would have to tell him about those strange feelings that kept haunting him all the time he was near, or thought about the CEO.

Like, that safe feeling when he slept on Seto's shoulder. Or that warm feeling that occurred when the other had played with his hair. And the tingling sensation in his stomach whenever they touched.

And he would have to tell Seto about all those thoughts he had had about him. Those thoughts of how handsome the other was, and how right it felt to be near him. Also, he would have to tell Seto about all those emotions, the way he really felt…

He couldn't do it. Jou didn't' know what he felt. And he was afraid that, If he thought about it and started to analyse his feelings…they would turn out to exceed far beyond care…he couldn't let that happen.

There was only one thing Jou could do now.

Run away.

"I…I've gotta go." Jou said quietly, rising just as he said it. Then he turned towards the door, preparing his escape.

The warning Jono had given him in the Shadow Realm suddenly popped up in Seto's head. _"Seto, you must soon grab what you desire."_ He had said. _"Jou won't be there forever; others will try to take him if you don't."_

Grab what he desired, huh?

So that was just what Seto did.

Quick as lightning, Seto stretched out his arm and grabbed Jou's thin wrist. Then, with a sharp tug, he pulled the other boy back down on the bed, sitting right next to him.

Jou yelped when he landed on the bed, and then blushed when he noted how close he was actually sitting to Seto.

Another surprised yelp escaped him when the CEO leaned even closer, to pass his face, and stop by his ear. Well there, Seto breathed hot air on the shell of it, and smelled the other's hair.

"K…Kaiba?" Jou whispered hesitantly when he felt the other's hand leave his wrist, to move to the small of his back, and it's partner tangle with his hair.

"Seeing that you were so persistent…" Seto whispered softly, letting the sentence stretch a little while he lazily trailed his hand up and down the other's back.

"…you're not going anywhere, Jounouchi…" He breathed into the other's ear, enjoying the shiver the sensation caused.

"…until I show you _exactly_ what I dreamt about…" The last sentence ended in a low purr.

Jou felt like his brains were turned to mush under the other's whispered sentences, and his whole body felt like jelly. And he was sure that his face would soon burst in flames, due to all the warmth that had gathered there. That he was currently drowning in the scent of cinnamon didn't help the dizziness at all.

It took all Jou's strength not to collapse when Seto pulled back slightly, to look him in the eye. Very closely in the eye.

"…you're so beautiful." Seto muttered, gazing intently at Jou. It wasn't meant for Jou to hear, but Seto didn't regret saying it at all.

Jou blushed heatedly at the comment, and looked away. "D-Don' be silly…I'm not…"

"Yes, you are." This time, the deadpan really was a deadpan.

"…thanks…" The blonde whispered, feeling very shy and small all of a sudden.

"You're welcome." Was the reply, before Seto leaned his forehead against the other. "Now then…if I'm going to show you what I dreamt…" He untangled his hand from Jou's hair, and wrapped his fingers gently around Jou's chin. "…you have to lean your head just a little to the side…" Seto tilted Jou's head in the perfect position. "…just like that."

Seto couldn't help it. He was mesmerized by the way Jou's face turned red at a simple touch, and how he would so obediently move the way he wanted to. It was all…so perfect…he couldn't end it all so soon…he had to touch a little bit more. Just a little bit, then he'd be fine.

He knew from the beginning that he was lying to himself; he'd never be fine, or sated with 'just one more touch'. Seto needed more. Permanently. Even though it was hard to admit…he was addicted to Jou; the sweetest drug ever thought of.

Jou felt his head spin around quickly, and the blush darkened even more on his cheeks, and spread over the bridge of his nose. Amber eyes started to grow hazy, and he could barely see anything. The only thing he saw was the hypnotic, blue eyes of the other.

The blonde gasped when Seto's hand left his back to move up to one of his cheeks. Gently, delicately even, the long fingers stroked the smooth skin of his cheek, trailing over the sensitive skin, following the blush.

Electrical jolts followed in the fingers wake, and Jou felt his head grow heavier at the sudden onslaught of touch.

"_What's happening to me…?" _Jou asked himself, as the hand that had tilted his chin started to trail the very sensitive skin of his throat, moving towards the small hairs on the back of his neck. _"Why…do I feel so strange?" _

After a few minutes of silence, Jou started to feel confused. Why was Seto doing all of this? Had he really dreamed of this; touching him this intimately? If he had, why was he showing this to him, even after Jou had said that he…

A sudden suspicion rose within Jou. Maybe the CEO was just making fun of him for liking him in that way! Maybe he didn't care at all. Perhaps, he would pull away in a few seconds, laughing coldly and saying what a pathetic fool he was to believe that a perfect guy like himself would fall for a pathetic lowlife like him…

Too many 'maybes' and 'perhaps'. Jou needed to know…

"Kaiba…" Jou whispered, his voice barely more than a whimper.

"Hn?" The brunet was too busy trailing his hand over Jou's cheek to formulate a real word.

It was hard for Jou to formulate a sentence at that point, but he did try. "I…w-why are you…doing this…I mean…d-don't you…i-if you're doing this to make fun of me, I'll…I'll…" Jou closed his eyes tightly when he felt his heart contract painfully at the thought.

Seto didn't answer at first. He just kept trailing the base of Jou's neck with light fingers with one hand, and let his other hand rest against the warm, red cheek. Then, a sigh escaped his mouth, and he removed his hand from the other's neck.

"Why I'm doing this? Isn't that obvious?" He mumbled, letting his gaze wander over the other's face.

"H-Huh?" Jou slowly opened his eyes again, to look at the CEO again with a shy and wondering gaze.

Seto chuckled softly, meeting the amber gaze with his blue eyes. "I mean…why do people touch each other like this? Why do they save them?" When Jou didn't say anything to answer, Seto let himself lean closer, to brush his lips lightly against the other's ear. "They do because they care…" He paused, taking a shallow breath before speaking again. "…as I care for you."

Jou's eyes widened at the whispered words. So short words, that meant that much for him. The words worth more than a thousand billion dollars.

"Y…You care about me?" For some reason, Jou's throat felt really constricted when he whispered this.

Once more, Seto chuckled, before brushing his nose against the sensitive skin on the side of Jou's neck. "Of course. What kind of master would I be if I didn't care for my puppy?"

For the first time, Jou found that he wasn't angry at Seto for calling him a dog.

"I care for you too." Jou admitted. Softly, almost fearfully.

Seto pulled back to look into Jou's eyes. Blue, molten sapphire, met warm, sparkling amber. A smile spread over Seto's lips, and he put both his hands on each of Jou's cheeks. Warmth filled his eyes, and Jou could suddenly see right into the very soul of the brunet.

"Good." With that, Seto leaned closer, hesitating slightly a fragment of an inch from his goal. Then, shaking away any second thought or sense he had, Seto leaned the rest of the way to let his lips meet Jou's.

It was a very soft and slow kiss at first, only a brush of lips. They both hesitated slightly, and held back to wait for the other to adjust to the feel, if one of them wanted to pull back. But it took only a few seconds before want and curiosity took over them both, to make them move their lips against each other tighter, to get more pressure and friction.

To Seto, the kiss tasted like a strange mix of apple and…stardust, how strange it even may sound. It was a taste out of this world, so strange, but still so perfect. At once, he needed more. Desperately, almost. It became an addiction so quick. More, more, more, this was all he could think of.

He let his hands wander from Jou's cheeks; one to the blonde's waist, and the other to the back of his neck; both having the intention to pull the other closer. With practised ease, he leaned his head more to the side to get more access, and let his tongue invite itself over to the cavern of Jou's mouth, on it's quest for that taste of stardust.

For Jou, this was what heaven felt and tasted like. Seto was invading him, Jou had no control over himself at that point. All he could process was that wonderful taste of Seto's mouth; coffee, cinnamon and a warm taste of a sun beam. It wasn't a taste, actually, it was more of a feeling…but Jou could have cared less. To him, it tasted perfectly.

His hands were acting on their own accord, moving to Seto's chest to grip his shirt. It was the only thing that kept him from sailing off the earth's surface at that moment, the last anchor for him. If Jou let go, he was certain that he would disappear. Though, he could have cared less.

Moaning softly, Jou let Seto pull him even closer, and push him backwards on the bed. He was being controlled in the most pathetic way…and it was the best feeling he had ever had. Jou prayed to whatever God there was, that this moment would last forever.

Seto pulled back a little from the other's mouth, to look down at the other, in hope of that he could regain his control if he wasn't in contact with Jou's mouth.

Big mistake.

Jou was blushing deeply, and his hair was all messed up, and hung down in his face. He was panting slightly, his breath flowing between his slightly red, parted, kiss-bruised lips. Amber eyes stared up at him, hidden under the long, black lashes of Jou's half lidded eyelids.

All in all; Jou looked like the ultimate bottom, vulnerable, shy and just begging to be ravished.

Growling slightly, Seto leaned back down to reclaim Jou's lips, this time with fevered hunger and a mad need. This time he didn't ask for permission; he demanded it, and took it by force.

With a surprised, and muffled, yelp, Jou clamped his eyes shut, and let the other plunder his mouth, only fighting back slightly, instead trying to ride out the wonderful sensations the kiss gave him

No kiss Jou had ever received had been this heated, or given him such an impact. Everything that Seto did seemed to be ten times more intense than anything Jou had ever felt before…why was that?

Who the hell cared why; not Jou anyway, that was for sure.

When the kiss ended, Seto held himself only half an inch from Jou's lips, gazing hungrily at the other. "Mine." He growled, letting his hands grab Jou's wrists, to hold them above his head.

"Yours." Jou whispered back, before Seto bent down to kiss him again, this time much softer, and with more emotion and patience. Now, Seto had time to explore and map out, because he was sure that Jou wouldn't stop him. Because now, Jou belonged to him…and would always do.

Satisfied with that thought, Seto took on the task of mapping out Jou's mouth; as slowly and pleasurably he possibly could.

In the door, watching the pair with a slanted smile, was Seth. The blue eyes sparkled at the display of love between the two boys, as he closed the bedroom door, to make sure that the two would get at least some privacy.

Seth was really happy for them; both of them. Jou deserved someone who cared that much for him, someone who had a heart only for him. And his reincarnation…well, he was the lucky one to get someone as perfect and loving as Jou.

But, somewhere inside his heart, Seth couldn't be all that happy in that moment. Why? Because the scene, just as that time on the bus to the water palace, reminded him too much of Jono…his lovely, beautiful Jono, his wonderful and sweet Jono, his shy and loving Jono…

_Flashback (sort of)_

_A gentle kiss in the middle of the night._

_A shy smile in a candlelit room. _

_A passionate cry of his name. _

_A delicate finger tracing his face. _

_A flash, an image of absolute beauty. _

_The addicting feel of smooth skin under his hands. _

_And finally, the warm feeling of another body pressed against his, softly humming on a Nubian tune. _

_The way a normal night for High Priest Seth and Katsuya Jono played out._

_The way everything was supposed to be. _

_The nights of love. _

_They now lay in shadowed memory. _

_Ended. _

_But still never gone. _

_End Flashback (sort of)_

A tear ran down Seth's cheek as he leaned back on the sofa he had collapsed in.

Why? Why had the Gods punished him and Jono so? To forever be parted, only because that evil bastard Hatoc had been jealous. It was so unfair! Unfair!

"It's so unfair…" Seth whispered, voice choked with despair, and leaned his head in his hands.

**End Chapter! **

…soooo? Was it any good? Or did I just waste your time? Okay, I know there was a lot of OOC acting…and the kiss and emotions came a bit too sudden…but I have been waiting, like, forever to get that kiss into this story…so yeah. But I hope you liked it!

Now then…please review, and tell me your thoughts of this! I love long reviews…and short ones…just send me a review, and I will reply to them!

Thanks for reading!

-The Blonde Midget


	16. The Realm Of Illusions

HELLO:D 

…is…anybody there? O.O –looks around herself- Hell-AAAAAAAGH! –gets trampled over by stampeding puppyshipping fangirls- …ouch…

Yeah, this took a long time…really long…but…you guys aren't too angry with me, are you? Right? –looks around herself nervously to see several pissed fangirls glaring- Um…okay, so maybe you are angry. You have every right to be…I am pissed at myself too if that helps! ;;;;

I just had a lot on my mind. And I've had this BLASTED writer's block after me for two months as well, so…-sighs- Ah well. You don't want to hear about my problems; you want a new chapter! So, without further ravings…

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Mako Tsunami! (Mako: Laweyrs! The ocean and I demands for you to give TBM Yu-Gi-Oh! Isn't that right, ocean?!

Ocean: …-obviously doesn't answer-

Lawyers: …-kicks Mako out.) …yes, I totally stole that from the Abridged Series of Yu-Gi-Oh! (sorry LittleKuriboh! I love your work! )

Pairings: Seto/Jou, Seth/Jono, and some Bakura/Ryou and Yami/Yugi on the side!

Warnings: Well…stupid humour, I guess. And BoyxBoy love, which I DON'T want to think as a warning…well, except that it might give you nosebleeds. XD

Well then! Chapter 16, coming at ya! –throws cookies- For you to snack on while you-

-gets a rock in the head and faints-

**Chapter 16**

**07:15**

**Normal POV**

"Seth? Hey, are you in there, cousin?" Seth flinched at the voice, and quickly snapped his gaze away from the desk he had been staring on.

Sitting next to him, looking rather worried, was Yami. The red eyes of his looked deep into his, seemingly ransacking his soul for an answer for the question just asked…

"I…I'm…alright, I guess." Seth replied quietly, turning his blue, empty gaze back to the desk. He let his finger trail a faint crack in the wood.

The two boys were sitting in the Game Shop, which was currently empty. It was a Sunday, a calm and quiet Sunday, on which the Game Shop was closed. Yugi was still sleeping upstairs, unaware of that Seth was there.

Yami sighed, and shook his head. It had been over an hour since Seth arrived at the Game Shop, and so far, he hadn't said a word. Yami thought back to how they both had ended up sitting there.

_Flashback _

_It was at 05:32 a shrill sound erupted through the silent bedroom in Mouto residence, throwing both Yami and Yugi out of their sleep. Yugi moaned lowly, burying his face in the pillow. "Who calls this early…?" He mumbled, starting to sit up._

"_Should I send that horrible device to the Shadow Realm for you, angel of mine?" Yami muttered into his pillow, not at all concealing his annoyance over the phone. _

_Yawning, Yugi shook his head. "No, Yami, not again…but…could you go and get it?" Sighing, Yugi fell back down against his pillow. "I'm too tireeeed…" _

_Groaning, Yami sat up, looking down at his little lover on the bed. "And you think I'm not? I wanna sleep too, Yugi, and…" The former Pharaoh was silenced by a soft kiss on the lips, that lingered for several seconds, until Yugi slowly pulled back. _

"_Please?" He whispered, voice soft, pleading and smooth as silk, violet eyes half lidded and dazed with sleep. _

"…" _Not saying another word, Yami slipped out of bed, and walked up to the phone. Silently, he cursed his hikari's ability to make him bend over, and do whatever he asked. Back in Ancient Egypt, no one had been able to push him around like that. _

_  
Maybe Bakura was right; he was turning soft…_

_Grumbling, Yami tore the receiver up, and barked into the phone. "Hello!" The person on the other side of the line couldn't help but to notice that Yami was more than annoyed. _

"_I need to talk to you, cousin." A low and timid voice said. A voice that Yami recognized without trouble. _

"_Seth?" Yami said curiously, staring at the phone. Suddenly, all his anger had vaporized. "Why…are you calling me at this late…err…early hour?" _

"_I…" There was a slight pause on the other side of the line. "I…need to talk to you…about something very important." In Seth's voice, Yami could sense honesty and some desperation. He had always been able to read Seth's feelings like an open book. _

_Yami sighed, and rubbed his eyes. "I see. Do you think this could wait until later? It's still so early, and…" _

"_Please, cousin?" Seth's voice was low, barely more than a whisper. A whisper filled with pleading, and sorrow. A tone Yami never had heard from his proud High Priest. _

_  
This was only the third time Yami had ever heard Seth plead him of something; the first was when Seth begged him to save him from his cruel father's clutches to make him a priest when they were ten. The second time was when Seth asked him to allow him to buy Jono as his own personal slave. And this was the third time. _

_Yami's resistance crumbled within seconds. "…I'll wait for you in the Game Shop. Just make sure to be quiet so we don't wake my hikari." _

"_Thank you." With that, Seth hung up. _

"_Yeah, yeah…" Yami muttered, putting down the receiver. _

_Bakura was definitely right; he __**was**__ turning soft…_

_End Flashback_

Ten minutes later, Seth had arrived in the Game Shop, looking quite out of it. His normally neat, brown hair was messy, like he had pulled his fingers through it many times. The blue eyes, that always had reminded Yami of warm summer skies, were empty, darkened like the ocean at night. For some reason, Seth looked older than he ever had been in life, or in death.

Seth hadn't said a single word wince he sat down by the counter. He had just sat there in silence, watching the countertop, several emotions running through his eyes. Yami hadn't said anything either, afraid to interrupt the other's thoughts.

Yami sighed, and rose to go get something to drink. (he was guessing this would take a while.) It was then, Seth spoke up.

"Yami, have you ever felt like…your body is there, but your heart and soul is somewhere else?" Seth's voice was low, and slightly thoughtful, when he looked up to stare at the former pharaoh. The blue eyes sparkled in a strange way, like there was a deep thought behind them.

Yami hesitated, and thought of the question for a while. "I…I'm not sure I understand what you mean, cousin." He finally answered, sitting back down slowly.

Sighing, Seth looked blankly out in the air. "I mean…have you ever felt incomplete? Like some part of your soul is missing?" He paused. Then, he continued with a very soft voice. "Like you only carry half a heart?"

Nodding slowly, Yami leaned his head in one hand, resting his elbow against the counter. "I have." He admitted, closing his eyes for a moment. The puzzle's darkness was still very fresh in Yami's memory.

Seth kept his gaze sternly forward, staring at the nothingness. "I…I have felt like that for a while now. First, I didn't acknowledge it…but lately, it has been impossible to ignore…"

"Seth?" Yami suddenly felt very confused. "What…what are you talking abou-"

"I miss him, Yami!" Seth finally cried, turning his blue gaze to Yami. The sky blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and Seth's whole face looked devastated. "I miss him so much that my heart is breaking within my chest, and my soul seems like it's dying inside of me!"

"Who?" Yami asked, leaning forward, desperately trying to understand his cousin's pain in hopes of soothing it. "Who do you miss?"

But Seth didn't answer; he just kept talking. Though, this time, with a voice barely above a whisper. "It burns…the pain…it seems endless. It won't go away, no matter how hard I try to make it do so…it sears, right here!" With a pained expression, Seth touched his chest, right over his heart.

"It feels like someone has ripped my heart out! That's how bad it hurts, Yami! I…I can't stand it…" A low sob interrupted Seth's rambling, and his head fell forward, so he could hide his face under his long bangs.

Hesitating only for a second, Yami reached out for his cousin's shoulder, to rest his hand there, hoping to give some relief. "Seth, who are you talking about? Who is making you feel this way?"

A sudden chuckle, a chuckle cold and void of Seth's usual warmth, erupted from the brunet's throat. "Isn't it obvious, pharaoh? Who is the only person who has ever stirred such emotions within me? The only one who has ever managed to make me feel, for real?"

Realisation hit Yami like a tidal wave.

"Jono." He said quietly, nodding. He should have thought as much.

A small nod confirmed Yami's statement, and Seth slowly looked up again. The blue eyes still contained tears, and some had managed to escape down his cheeks. "I miss him so badly, Yami."

"I…I understand, Seth…" Yami said quietly, squeezing his cousin's shoulder in a way to comfort him.

"Do you?" Seth asked quietly, not dong anything to stop the tears that trickled down his cheeks. "Do you really?"

The question was spoken out of the purest despair, and shook Yami to his deepest core. It had never occurred to him before…how empty the words 'I understand' really could be. Because really; could he really understand how Seth felt…without having experienced the same thing?

Yami could only imagine the feeling; being separated from his true love forever. To never meet Yugi again, to never see his beautiful smile, or hear his angelic voice. And never being able to hold him, sooth him and…just love him. Truly, Yami could never understand Seth's feeling, without experiencing the same trauma.

"No." Yami finally answered, after a long moment of silence. "I guess I can…never really understand how you feel, Seth. And…I am happy that I can't." The last sentence was spoken quietly, almost not audible.

"You should be." Seth said, giving a sad smile. The smile faded soon, though, and Seth rose. Throwing a glance at the watch (which he now understood, due to Jou's intensive course for him when he first arrived), and chuckled. "I have wasted a lot of time for you, Atemu. I will leave now…thank you for listening to me. It meant a lot."

Yami rose too, quickly putting a hand on Seth's shoulder. "Seth…I wish…I just wish I could help you somehow." All his life, Yami had been able to fix everything, and solve problems so they made everyone happy. (or at least content.) But now…he felt helpless. "Tell me if there's anything I can do…I will help you."

Hesitating slightly, Seth nodded and gave Yami a very quick smile. "Thank you, my cousin. But for the moment, there is nothing you can do to aid. I will, however, tell you when there is something you can do." With a small nod as a way of parting, Seth left the Game shop, the little bell over the door giving a small sound when the door closed.

When silence fell, Yami looked down at the table.

He wanted to help Seth so badly. Weren't there some way to help him back to Jono of his time, some way to reunite the two lovers? There had to be.

Yami decided to call the rest of the gang, as soon as the time past these ungodly hours. Together, there was a greater chance of thinking out an idea to send Seth back. But, before any of that…

Sighing, Yami walked towards the stairs to his and Yugi's bedroom.

Somehow, he felt a strong urge just to hold his beloved aibou, and just love the heck out of him for a while.

**Later that day… **

**Game Shop Normal POV **

"So, tell me again…why the hell is _Kaiba_ here?" Honda said, glaring at the mentioned brunet.

Seto glared straight back, about ten gazillion times stronger, his glare completely slaughtering Honda's pathetic attempt of a glare. "Didn't you know, shark hair? A puppy goes nowhere without its' master." To prove his point, he held Jou closer to his chest.

Earlier that day, about at 11:13, Jou had told his friends that he and Seto was now an item. Or, well, he hadn't really _told_ them, per say…

It was kind of hard to talk while Seto Kaiba had his tongue stuck half way down your throat. If you ever try it (without getting strangled by said man first), you will find that it is indeed extremely difficult to talk during such conditions.

Jou blushed deeply, and tried to wiggle out of the other's tight grip, without loosing the body connection between them. A quite hard technique for those who couldn't master it. "H-Hey! I said no more puppy comments, Seto!"

The brunet rose a delicate eyebrow. "Did you now? I had a hard time hearing that during all the other noises you were making yesterday…"

Before Jou could blush even deeper than he already was, and Seto could become more descriptive, Honda –aka, our brave and pointy haired hero- decided to kick in.

"God!" He yelled, holding his hands tightly over his ears, clenching his eyes shut. "I do _not_ need those mental images, thank you very much!"

Seto smirked, looking very much like a cat that had taken a canary. "Oh? I could do much worse than imagery, Hiroto. I could be visual…"

Alas, before Seto could attempt any molesting of our dear pup (that _would_ have scarred Honda for life, and taken us far off the plotline), Ryou decided to kick in.

Our dear, almost innocent Ryou. Whatever would the plotline do without him?

"Guys, weren't we here to discuss something…" He pulled out the sentence, and looked expectantly at Yugi and Yami.

Immediately, the grin that had been on Yami's face during watching Seto and Jou tease each other faded. A frown settled in on his face, and he nodded. "Yes. It's about Seth…"

"What about Seth? Has something happened to him?" Jou immediately asked, looking very worried at once. Being in love with Seto, didn't mean that he had stopped caring about Seth.

Seto gave Jou an irritated look. Why the hell was his puppy, _his_, worrying over that lowly, idiotic copy of himself? He shouldn't be worrying about Seth! Jou should be worrying about him, and never think of anyone else than him, Seto Kaiba, his boyfriend!

Seto, possessive? Nah, whatever made you think that?

Yami sighed. "Well, nothing has happened to him as a person. But…he is feeling down."

"Why?" Bakura asked, smirking evilly. "Is Seth feeling down from lack of people worshipping the very ground he walks upon?"

This comment earned Bakura a hard smack over his head, and a disapproving glare from his hikari.

"No…" Yami said, glaring at the other yami. (err…you know what I mean ) "Seth…we need to get him back to Ancient Egypt again."

"…why does he want to go back to Ancient Egypt?" Bakura asked, rising a white eyebrow. "That rotten place doesn't even have TV!"

"Because Katsuya is still there, you idiot!" Yami barked, sending Bakura a lethal glare."Huh?" A very confused look passed over Jou's face, and he scratched his neck. "But, I'm right here, Yami…"

Yami groaned and shook his head, mumbling something about idiotic morons. "Not you, Jou. The Katsuya from his time; Katsuya Jono."

At hearing that name, Seto suddenly flinched. Jono? Hadn't…he heard that name before? As soon as he wondered that, a memory flashed before his eyes, so clearly that he could have sworn it was happening again.

_A shy smile. _

_"I am Katsuya Jono, and I will be your guide whilst you are here." The blonde boy bowed his head slightly._

"Seto?" Jou watched his lover ("lover!" Jou squealed inside his head like a teenage girl) with a frown. The brunet's eyes had suddenly turned distant, and dim, like he was watching something billions of miles away.

"Katsuya Jono, huh?" He suddenly muttered, shaking himself out of his stupor. "He isn't in Ancient Egypt, Yami."

"What…" Yami blinked confusedly. Before he could say anything else, another voice beat him to it.

"You know where Jono is?" Everyone turned towards the door of the Game shop, and the new voice.

Standing in the doorway was Seth. His hair was messy, and looked like it could really use a hairbrush. The blue eyes looked dead-tired, and slightly red, but were also filled with a new light; one of hope.

Seto shrugged slightly. "I might." Was his short answer.

The next second, Seth was standing in front of Seto, with a deadly tight grip on his shoulders. If one listened carefully, they would make out a faint creaking from Seto's shoulders.

"Tell. Me." The two words were spoken out of deepest need, and would have had any lesser man shaking with their intensity. Of course, Seto Kaiba is no lesser man, so he stood up to the words in the best way he knew how.

"Hn." Seto rolled his eyes. "I didn't say I knew exactly where he was, Seth. But one thing, I do know. He is in the Shadow Realm."

The silence that followed that statement was complete.

"…the…Shadow Realm?" Seth whispered. His usually stoic and cocky voice was weak, and almost on the verge of breaking. His whole face was pale, and the blue eyes blank.

"What the hell is he doing there?" Yami asked, sounding as shocked as he looked.

"What do you think, genius? Taking a vacation?" Bakura rolled his eyes in annoyance of the stupidity that seemed to surround him. Seriously, was he the only one who actually thought for a moment before speaking?

…you can all stop laughing now, thank you.

Before Yami could jump Bakura and strangle him with the Millennium Puzzle (don't ask me how he'd do that, he just would.) Ryou took a chance in speaking. (well, someone had to; Yugi was restraining Yami, Bakura was busy smirking, Jou was clueless, Seth in shock, and Seto…well, why do you think he would add something to his previous statement freely?)

"Um…Kaiba, how do you know that Jono is in the Shadow Realm?"

…seriously, why hadn't anyone else thought of asking that question?

Everyone stopped in the middle of their respective actions to stare at Ryou. Then, when the shock over that the pale boy had actually been the only one to ask the obvious question, everyone turned to Seto.

Seto sighed. He felt that there was a long explanation coming on from his side.

"Well…" And so, the CEO started to retell his story of ending up in the Shadow Realm. He told them about meeting Katsuya Jono, and how he had gone through something called The Trial of Souls (leaving out the parts with what it was about), and how he had ended up going back to his body. After all this, the Game shop once again fell into silence.

"Finally…" Seth suddenly breathed, a very faint smile playing on his lips. Hope had returned to his face, and seeped into his voice. "Finally…I know where he is…"

"Err…" Jou blinked cutely, and bit his lower lip. _("No, NO, don't ravish him now!"_ Seto mentally berated himself) "Seth, how do you know where Jono is? I mean…all you know is that he is in the Shadow Realm, but not where in it…and isn't the Shadow Realm, like…never ending?"

Again, Seth smiled, and looked directly at the blonde. "You are quite wrong, sweet one." _("MY sweet one, baka!"_ Seto roared mentally, and shook a mental fist at Seth.) "Yes, the Shadow Realm is never ending…but it's divided into several parts."

"Yes." Yami nodded. "There are layers of it, but two main layers, so to speak. One is for the Shadow creatures, and is the deepest realm. It's there we usually send the worst criminals to pay for their crimes; they are devoured by the creatures again and again, with no hope for survival. From there, there is no escape."

"Then, there is the Realm of Illusions, closest to our realm." Bakura said, rolling his eyes. "It's a really crappy and boring realm, where souls that are to be Judged are sent before going to the After Life. Or, back to their own bodies, if they were unrightfully or accidentally sent to the Shadow Realm. I've been there a couple of times. Yami usually never sends me too far in…too weak to do that, I suppose." The dark spirit snickered at the pissed off expression on Yami's face.

"Anyway." The former priest continued. "That realm is where you and Hatoc went, Seto. I didn't send you that far when I attacked you, seeing that both me and my dragon was weak at the time."

"Hah! I told you only weak people sends you to the Illusion Realm!" Bakura shouted out in childish glee, only to get smacked into silence by Ryou, who glared seeing that he wanted to hear the rest of the story.

Seth rose, and started pacing the floor, blue eyes focused on his feet. "Now, I do wonder how Jono ended up in that realm…maybe he was killed in our time, and went there for judging…but why didn't he go back then…" Seth shook his head. "No, no, it doesn't matter…all that matters is that I know where he is. And I can reach him."

Suddenly, Yami's eyes widened. "No, Seth, you…you can't reach the Realm of Illusions. You…you can't." His voice was strained, and very, very nervous. Obviously, he didn't want to be the one informing Seth of this matter.

At once, Seth had turned around to face Yami, and had grabbed his collar in one swift moment. "What the hell, Atemu! I am this close to meet the only one my heart has ever beaten for! And now you say I have to ask for your permission?! You're not a Pharaoh anymore, I no longer have to follow your command!"

Seth's eyes were no longer blue; they were close to black, and filled with madness. And who could blame him? The fire in his heart, the longing that he had felt for 5000 long years, was so close to being extinguished…and someone said it couldn't happen?!

Yami calmly removed the shaking hands around his collar. "Listen to me, Seth. I'm not saying I won't let you. I'm saying…" Hesitation snuck into Yami's eyes for a second, before he decided to say what was on his mind. "…the realm won't allow you to enter."

For a moment, a confused look travelled through Seth's eyes. Before he could ask anything, Yami continued, his voice low and his head bent down.

"The Restriction, Seth."

At those words, all blood seemed to leave Seth's face. The blue eyes stared emptily at Yami for a long time. Then, a deep sigh escaped Seth, and he sunk back onto a chair behind him. There, he buried his face in his hands, soon shaking with the force it took him not to cry.

"What…" Jou swallowed, unsure if he should ask. "…what is 'The Restriction', Yami?"

The tanned teenager by appearance sighed deeply. "It's…well, it's a restriction for strong spell casters and wielders of items like the Millennium Items. We can't go to the Realm of Illusions. Our…Our strong powers are hindered by the magic in that realm. If our magic collides with the strong illusionary powers of that realm it sort of…repels one another. Meaning, we die, and crash into the darkest corners of the Shadow Realm. Beyond the realm I told you about earlier. And…well, that's not a good thing."

"Wait, this doesn't make sense." Seto frowned. "You say that Seth died for Katsuya, because Jono lost a Shadow Game. That must mean he have Shadow Powers, and then he wouldn't be able to linger in that realm."

Yami looked at Seto. The red eyes were very serious. "Katsuya Jono was by no means strong enough to be known even as a lower rank spell caster. He had close to no training of the Shadow Realm. All he knew was to summon his ka; the monster that dwells in our souls. And that was common knowledge back in Ancient Egypt." He sighed. "There is no way for Seth to go to that realm."

Suddenly, Seth looked up from his hands. Pain was still lingering but also…determination. "Actually…there is a way."

"Huh?" Everyone stared in shock at Seth. After all that been said…he still hadn't given up?

Yami frowned. "Seth, you will not go to that realm and die. There is no way to go there with your powers, and…" There was a pause. Then, a look of understanding crossed Yami's face. And then fear. "You…You wouldn't…mean…."

"Yes." Seth looked at his hands. They were shaking slightly, so he clenched them into fists to hide it. "I'm going to give up my powers to be with Katsuya once more."

**End Chapter! **

-rubs head sourly after the rock-incident- Ouch, my head…OH! You're done!

CLIFFIE:D

…sorry, I'm just SOOO tired… I think my humour just died.

Well, as you all noticed…this wasn't the last chapter. Now, some of you might think 'What the HELL?! She doesn't update for God-knows-HOW-long and leaves us with a cliffhanger!' And some others might think 'I'm gonna kill that midget dead!' Well, I have an excuse!

I just wanted to update, damnit! This was to sooth my readers aching minds, so you'd at least get a little bit to read before the great finale! So, um…be patient, and the next chapter will come…in a while…when I have written it all down. I'm working on it! BELIEVE IT!

…I have watched TOO many Naruto episodes… Stupid American dubs…

And, YES, there was a lot of explaining and talking and yada yada, but it is necessary for you all to understand what I'm talking about and why Seth can't just jump into the Shadow Realm and save Jono. –rolls eyes- Also…it will be important for next chapter. So, err…no, I'm not saying anymore, because then I will reveal the ending!

Anywho! Please leave me a review, and tell me what you thought of this chappie! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts, and if anyone is still reading this and wants a new chapter!

Okay, take care! –throws down a smokebomb-

…-still there when the smoke clears- …oh, damnit…-mutters angrily while walking out the back door-

-The Blonde Midget! (I AM BACK, BABY! )


	17. Together For Eternity

Hey! Guess what! 

…I said,; GUESS WHAT?!

Seto: -sigh- What?

I'M GOING TO UPDATE WAAY SOONER THAN I THOUGHT:D ONLY FIVE DAYS THIS TIME! YOSH! -goodguy pose-

Seto: …well, whoopdido…-walks away-

Anywho! Yes! It is time for a new chapter! …the last one, in fact. This…feels kinda weird. I've been working on Old Love since last year, and…well, it is the longest story I've made so far. (longest in pages, I mean.) Well…no time to feel tragic! You want a new chapter, and who am I to keep it from you?

So, new chapter! …after a few more words…

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But just you wait until I get a better lawyer than Seto!

(Seto: …no. No way I'm doing this. –walks out-

Lawyers: …-sweatdrop-) …well, I guess he was the best one this far. --;;;;;

Pairings: Seth/Jono, Seto/Jou and some Yami/Yugi and Bakura/Ryou.

Warnings: Overuse of fluff and cuteness. Oh, and there's a lime…sort of…in the end. Nothing major, I promise. Just a headsup for you sensitive readers out there!

Okay then! Here comes the last chapter of Old Love. (there will be more rants and thank-yous in the end note.)

**Chapter 17**

**Game Shop**

**Normal POV**

You know those silences that are so silent that you can swear you could hear a needle fall on the ground if someone for some stupid reason dropped one? The silences that comes in churches when people pray, but always is broken by a wailing baby? Those really, really silent silences?

Well, compared to the silence that just had fallen over the gang in the Game Shop, those are just really, really loud.

But, no matter how silent this silence was, it was, as all silences, broken by a sound.

"What?!" Yami cried out, rising so quickly that his chair fall backwards, and fell heavily onto Bakura's toes, immediately resulting in him yelling curses in Egyptian, and hopping around on his un damaged foot, clutching the abused appendage in his hands.

Well. At least that's better than a baby wailing.

"I said," Seth said calmly, looking over to the red-faced Yami, "I'm going to give up my powers. That way, I can go into the Realm of Illusions, and once more be reunited with Jono."

"Damnit, I heard you the first time!" shouted Yami, obviously not very happy about Seth's announcement. "You know you can't do that, Seth!" You can't just give up your powers, and you know that! First of all, you must find someone dependable to take them over-"

"I can do it!" Bakura interrupted Yami's rant, and quickly stopped hopping around on one foot. All of a sudden, the gruesome pain that previously had haunted his foot didn't hurt at all.

Yami gave Bakura a long look.

"I said; _dependable_, Bakura."

"…damn." Bakura muttered and sat down on a chair next to Ryou. The British boy immediately started to comfort the poor Tomb Robber, by petting his hair and kissing his cheek. And, even though Bakura protested, you could tell he felt better from it. (Or horny. But that's beside the point…)

"Furthermore…" Yami turned back to Seth. "…even if you _did _find someone dependable to take over your powers, and we sent you to the Realm of Illusions, it's not even sure that you would manage to find Katsuya there. As mentioned before, the realms are infinite, and Katsuya could be practically anywhere. Finding him would be like finding a needle in a haystack-"

"Which is hard, but not impossible." Seth interrupted softly. The blue eyes had taken on a determined, calm look when he looked at Yami. "Even if it took me time to find him there, I could still do it. Atemu, I no longer care what happens to me, and you know that better than anyone. All I want…" A sigh escaped the brunet, and he looked down at his hands. "…is to find Katsuya and spend eternity with him."

Yami sighed sadly. In his heart, he already knew that there was no way to stop Seth, when he really had his mind into something. So, instead of giving more reasons to why he shouldn't do what he was about to do, he said;

"Who are you going to give the powers to? Do you have anyone in mind?"

A smile started to break out on Seth's face when he understood that he had, albeit unwillingly, been given permission from Yami to proceed. "Actually, yes. I do have someone in mind…"

"IS IT ME?!" Bakura yelled loudly, once again jumping to his feet.

"…no."

"…damnit…"

Choosing to ignore Bakura's outburst, Seth spoke again. "I have decided to give my powers to someone whom I know I can trust. Someone who has proven to me that he would do anything to protect those whom he loves, even die for them. For that, is the one thing I find most important in life." Slowly, Seth turned his gaze and clashed with another's. He smiled.

"Kaiba."

"Kaiba?!" Yami echoed, staring at Seth.

"Kaiba?!" Bakura roared, looking outraged. (_"I deserve those powers, damn you! How else am I going to take over the world?! GIVE ME THOSE POWERS, BAKA HIGH PRIEST!" _Bakura yelled mentally.)

"Seto?" Jou said, blinking cutely.

"Me?" Seto said, disbelief clear in his voice.

Seth rolled his eyes. "Yes, you."

For a moment, Seto was shocked speechless, and could just stare at the smiling Seth. "But…I have no experience of magic. Hell, I don't even _believe_ in magic!" Suddenly, everything just felt very surreal to Seto. Why would the crazy Egyptian want to give him such powers? (even though they don't exist, Seto told himself firmly.)

A delicate eyebrow rose at his statement. "After everything that has happened, you still claim not to believe in magic? Not even after being hit by magical lightning, and being in the Shadow Realm?"

"Damn right, I don't!" Seto glared at Seth, rising so that he wouldn't look so damn short in comparison. "That's not magic! That's just…err…" Seto thought for a moment. "…I guess, a sign that I really need to catch some more sleep and work less."

A groan escaped everyone's lips, and everyone simultaneously rolled their eyes. (minus Seto, who naturally thought his explanation was fool-proof.)

Seth was very close to start a discussion about it, but quickly decided not to. Seto Kaiba was just too damn stubborn to realise he was wrong. So, instead, he went for a sneaky attack.

"Well. If you don't believe in magic, I guess you wouldn't mind if I just passed my powers on to you? I mean, it wouldn't make any difference, now would it?" Seth once more rose an eyebrow.

"…I guess I don't mind." Seto said uncertainly.

"Great!" The former High Priest said happily. "Then, get over here and we'll get started."

…for some reason, Seto felt like he had just been tricked.

Shrugging this feeling off (I mean, NO ONE could ever fool Seto Kaiba, right?) Seto walked over to Seth. Uncertainly, he shifted his feet. He had no idea what was going to happen, so he was…not nervous, just…less secure with himself.

"Seto Kaiba," Seth began, a very serious tone to his voice, and eyes staring deeply into Seto's soul. "will you accept the Powers of The Millennium Rod, and the responsibility that comes with them?"

Hesitating for a moment, Seto slowly nodded. "…yes…"

"And will you use those powers only for good, and protecting those whom you care for, and never attack an innocent?" Blue eyes glinted in a way that challenged Seto to say no.

"Yes." That question hadn't taken Seto much time to think about. Of course he would use these assumed powers to protect! If someone threatened Katsuya or Mokuba, there would be hell to pay. (now, Seto could actually say that in a literal sense.)

"Will you respect these powers given to you, and accept the limits of their use? Will you accept the punishments that will follow if you disobey these rules and limits?"

"I guess…" Seth cleared his throat, and Seto barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Fine; yes, I will."

"Then, Seto Kaiba…" Seth put his right hand on Seto's forehead, and his left on his shoulder. "…my powers will be yours."

Bright light enveloped the two boys, and blinded the other occupants of the room. Chanting in Egyptian could be heard, almost like singing. There was even slight music around them, it seemed. The glass of the windows shook at the immeasurable forces that now occupied the room, and the door slammed open and closed several times.

After about a minute of this, though it felt like hours, the light slowly started to dim, and the chanting became whispers that soon died out. The five boys outside of the ritual quickly turned their gazes to the centre of the room.

Seth stood, back completely straight and blue eyes open, panting slightly. In his arms, he held an unconscious and limp Seto Kaiba, whose hair was, (for once!) messy and hung down over his face. A faint glow was around both the teens bodies, and soon died down. In Seto's left hand, clutched tightly, was the Millennium Rod. How it came there? I will leave that to your imagination.

"Seto!" Jou cried out worriedly, and quickly ran to take him out of Seth's arms. Gently, Jou lowered Seto to the floor, and put his hand against his forehead. It was slightly warm. Worried amber eyes turned up to Seth. "Is he…"

"He'll be fine." Seth said, sounding slightly worn out and tired. "His body is right now accepting the enormous power that just have filled his body. There might be a fever for a couple of days, but it's nothing to worry about…" Suddenly, the former High Priest wobbled, and sank down on his knees to the floor. "Oh Ra, remind me never to do that again…"

"That would be quite impossible." Yami stated grimly, helping his cousin onto his feet, failing the first time, seeing that Seth's legs had lost very much of their power. "Damnit, Seth, you're lucky you're this strong; you could have ripped out you soul while you were at it!"

"I know, I know…" Seth muttered, waving of the worry of Yami. "But it's fine now…feels rather strange, though. I've…I've never been without my powers before." Testily, Seth reached out for the place where the powers once had rested within his soul.

It was completely empty. Not even a slight spark of magic. It was hard for him even to feel his ka anymore! For a second, Seth felt panic, strong and fierce, course through his body. Then he calmed himself down, but still couldn't get rd of the feeling that he had just lost a piece of his soul.

"_But," _Seth told himself, and smiling slightly. _"it's worth it if I get to see Katsuya again…" _

"Atemu. It's time." Seth stated after a few minutes of catching his breath.

Yami looked uncertain. "Are…Are you sure you're up for it, cousin? After all, being sent to the Shadow Realm isn't one of the easiest things on the soul either…"

"I'll be fine." The brunet straightened himself, and took a deep breath. Then he turned to Ryou and smiled It was time for his goodbyes as well.

"Goodbye, Bakura's most beloved one. I wish you a happy life, and I only regret we didn't get to know each other more. May Ra shine upon you for the rest of your days." With a charming smile, Seth took one of Ryou's hands and pressed a gentle kiss to it.

Ryou's face instantly turned bright red. After all, Seth's charm and good looks would have made even a log blush. And, as we all know, Ryou is much shyer than a log "Oh! U-Um…I-It was nice knowing you too, Seth…"

Before Bakura could attack Seth for touching, and kissing, his hikari, Seth turned to Yugi. "Goodbye, Atemu's most beloved one. May you and my Pharaoh always live happy, and I pray that your love will always bloom." Seth made a deep bow, touching his forehead lightly in respect.

This, of course, made Yugi distinctly nervous and shy. No one usually treated him with such respect. Sure, he was the world champion of a card game and thus earned some respct, but people never _bowed _to him like that!

"T-Thank you, Seth…a-and I hope you will be happy too!" Yugi stuttered, out, and blushed slightly, luckily not to the same deep shade as Ryou.

Nodding towards Yugi, Seto now turned to Honda. Who stared at him with eyes open wide. "Err…yeah, I don't know what I can say to you, Honda, but…good luck in life, I guess."

Honda didn't answer. All the stuff that just had happened had been a little too much for his puny mind to comprehend, so…yeah, he just sat on his chair and looked shocked.

Shrugging Honda's reaction off, Seto turned to Bakura. A grin spread over his face. "Well, Tomb Robber. I wish you good luck in life as well, and that Ra will shine upon you. And that Ryou will always stay by your side, even though you're a lousy idiot."

"Why, you…" Bakura hissed and glared, rising with clenched fist.

"And, I am glad to have met you again." Seth continued, a slanted smile on his face. "It was nice to know the person behind the Tomb Robber, and if the times had been different, I am sure we could have been different back in Egypt. I really, truly wish you luck in life, Bakura." The brunet bent his head in a slight bow to Bakura.

Bakura blinked several times, and then quickly looked away with a mutter. "Whatever…baka priest…" Strangely enough, Bakura's voiced sounded choked and strained…

"Bakura," Yami said, disbelief in his voice. "are you…crying?!"

"OF COURSE NOT, BAKA PHARAOH!" Bakura yelled, sending Yami a scorching glare with eyes shining, brimmed with unshed tears. "I…I just got something in my eye, damnit!" And Bakura turned away to, as he claimed, rub the dirt out of his eyes.

Smirking slightly, Seth turned to Yami. A slightly sad looked past his face. "Atemu…I have no idea what to say to you. You have given me many joys in life, and you were one of the few good thoughts in the Shadow Realm for me. I…I just hope you will be happy for the remainder for your life." He glanced over to Yugi, and smiled. "But, I can tell you won't have any trouble there…"

Yami gave a sad smile, and nodded. "Best of luck to you too, cousin." For a moment, the two just watched each other, before embracing warmly in a brotherly embrace. They would miss each other.

After pulling away from Yami, and giving him one last smile, Seth turned to Jou.

The blonde sat on the floor, still holding Seto in his arms. Amber eyes were directed straight to Seth, and were a little red. He was biting his lower lip tightly, obviously trying to keep in a sob.

Quickly, Seth sat down next to Jou, and pulled him into his strong arms. Almost at once, Jou started to cry quietly into his shirt, arms slung around his neck.

Jou didn't know how he felt in that moment. One part of him was happy that Seth was going to meet the true love of his life, and be happy forever. He wanted Seth's best over everything else, after all. Another part of him though, never wanted to let him go. Seth was one of the nicest people he had ever met, and one of the best friends he would ever have. He really didn't want to let him leave…

But, he knew he had to, and would. After all…it was the only thing that would make Seth truly happy, which was Jou's only wish for him. Even though Jou kept telling himself this, he couldn't stop crying for a long while…

"I-I'm gonna…gonna…miss you, S-Seth!" Jou whispered into his chest, and sobbed several times when his tears had finally come to an end. Seth made soothing sounds, and stroked his tense back.

"Shh…I know, I know…I will miss you too, sweet one." Tears had started to gather in Seth's eyes as well, along with a knot in his throat. He would really, truly miss this Katsuya. A boy so alike, but still so different from his one. If Seth hadn't had Jono, then he could possibly have fallen in love with him.

Sighing deeply, Seth pulled away from Jou, who also, albeit reluctantly, pulled away too. With a smile, Seth pressed a gentle kiss to Jou's cheek, and stood again. "Good luck to you, Katsuya Jounouchi. May Ra shine upon you and your love to my reincarnation. I hope he will always treat you right."

Quickly drying his tears, Jou nodded and smiled too " Yeah, I'm sure he will. Or else, I'm gonna kick his ass!" The blonde grinned, the normal sunny grin he always had.

Seth smiled brightly, and chuckled. "My poor, poor reincarnation better behave, I guess."

Jou nodded, and then turned serious again. Slowly, he turned his gaze down to Seto in his lap, and caressed his hair lightly. "Um…I hope you will be happy, Seth."

"I am sure I will." With that, Seth took a long look at the unconscious Kaiba. "…when he wakes up, make sure to give him my warmest regards, Katsuya. And make sure he knows that I accept him as a suitable man for you. You both have my blessing."

Jou snickered, and nodded. He was sure that Seto couldn't care less about if Seth 'accepted him', or his blessing, but it probably still would mean _something_ to the brunet. After all…the two brunets hadn't only been angry with each other.

Slowly, after giving everyone in the room one last look-over, Seth turned to Yami. He swallowed deeply, and fell to his knees in front of him.

"I am ready, Atemu. Send me to The Realm of Illusion." Seth bowed his head, showing submission to his fate.

A hint of hesitation could be seen on Yami's face for a scratch of a second, but he soon composed himself. "Brace yourself then." With that, Yami started chanting in Ancient Egyptian, holding out his hands in front of himself, palms towards the kneeling man in front of him. First, nothing seemed to happen. But then…

Soft light started to glow around both Yami's hands and Seth. It wasn't anything dramatic, like some huge light show or fireworks. It was just a calm, serene light. Seth, in fact, smiled faintly at it and embraced it fully.

Then, slowly but surely, Seth started to fade. He was starting to grow transparent, and the colours o him started to dim. The only thing that kept it's original colour were his eyes; they were as blue as always. A smile lingered on his face, and slowly he closed his eyes.

In the same second his body disappeared entirely from view, a low whisper was carried through the room.

_"Thank you…all of you…thank you for this second chance."_

Then the world went silent.

Everyone stared at the place Seth once had been. This was one of those moments that everyone searches their hearts, and tries to find out what they indeed felt about the whole ordeal. So everyone gets a chance to show how much they have grown over the whole story, so it wouldn't be pointless.

But, seeing that I am one lazy authoress, and I want to get the story going, this is not going to happen.

"Sooo…" Bakura grinned brightly. "Who is up for some pizza?!"

A long silence followed his statement.

"…I'm in." Honda stated.

"Sure." Ryou said, shrugging.

"Yeah, me too. I'm starving!" Jou stated firmly, lifting up Seto onto his back. (yup, no one cars if your sick/unconscious from getting Shadow Powers when there's pizza around!)

"Not too much cheese on mine, though. I'm on a diet…" Yami said carefully.

"Of course not, Yami. Lets go then!" Yugi said happily.

So, the gang headed out the door of the Kame Game Shop, no more problems in their world. Well, except what they wanted on their pizzas. (which is a very hard and difficult thing to choose!)

But, Yami lingered a second in the door of the shop. A thoughtful look was on his face, and he stared out into the distance.

"I can't help but to feel that we have forgotten something…" Yami muttered, thinking for a long moment. Then he shrugged. It was probably nothing. If it had been important, he would surely have remembered it, right? So, Yami happily ran after the gang, thinking about the delicious Hawaii pizza he would have in a few minutes.

**Somewhere, deep inside the Shadow Realm…**

"Guys?" Anzu looked around herself in the deep darkness. Everywhere she looked there was…well, darkness. What do you expect; it's the Shadow Realm, not some carnival!

For a moment, Anzu actually felt disheartened. Had she been abandoned by her friends? Had they forgotten all about her? Would the Germans ever stop loving David Hasselhoff?

"Naah!" Anzu said, and waved her hand a little in a dismissing manner. "They would never forget about me! I am their friend, and our ties of friendship will always remain strong and friendly! There is no way such awesome friends could forget about an awesome friend like me! Friendship will prevail! They, my friendly friends, will soon find me at this unfriendly place, and-"

A large Man-eater Bug crawled out of a hole next to Anzu, bent down and ate her, finally giving a good reason for it's creepy name.

Somewhere, very far away, you could distantly hear the cheering of one, rabid, blonde, short in a tall way, puppyshipping fangirl.

**In The Realm of Illusions…**

A slight rip could be seen for a second in the darkness, revealing light for a second, before it closed. In it's place stood a brunet, his body still shivering in the aftermath of being sent through realms, which was quite a breathtaking event.

Seth opened his eyes, looked around himself, and sighed when only darkness met his gaze.

Here he was, in the middle of the Shadow Realm, looking for the one true love of his life…could he get even more cliché?

Probably. But that's not the point of this story…

Seth closed his eyes, and started to scan the area around him for any sign of his beloved's aura. Every soul had it's specific aura that could be defined without the use of magic, and Seth had memorized Jono's a long, long time ago. And he would never forget it. Ever.

A very faint trace of Katsuya's aura stroked like a gentle hand against his mind, and Seth turned that way. Opening his eyes, he started to walk in the direction of the faint traces. The further he walked, the stronger the traces got. Soon, it felt like he could smell Jono's aura in the air; a faint whiff of honey; sweet, but also warm.

It was then, Seth saw something odd.

Suddenly, in the middle of the darkness, a high, there was a white stone-wall. It spread about twenty feet to the sides, and then disappeared in the many shadows around him. On the middle of the wall, there was a high door, decorated with gold and silver carvings. It was slightly ajar.

Curious, and due to the fact that he felt Jono's aura through the door, Seth walked closer, and opened the door a little bit more, so he could see what was behind hit. What he saw made his jaw slack, and his eyes widen slightly.

It was a garden. A wonderful, blooming garden, apparently in the middle of summer. Many flowers caused a drowsy scent through his nose, and made him sigh in bliss. Warmth hit Seth in waves, warmth that he hadn't felt in a long time and instantly loved. Bright sunlight stung his eyes making him squint slightly at the sudden light. Soft chirping from birds could be heard too, almost not there.

Slowly, Seth pushed the door opened fully, so he could enter the garden, and closed it behind him silently. It was…beautiful. And very familiar. Too familiar, even.

Seth started at the very familiar sight of the palace garden from Egypt. It was a perfect copy of it; the same exotic flowers, the same heat and the same little ponds with chirping birds playing in them.

When Seth looked down on himself, he noticed that his clothes had changed as well. He was now wearing one of the expensive purple and blue silk robes that he used to wear back in Ancient Egypt, created through his memory of it. It caressed his skin softly, making it all seem so very real again. Everything seemed so familiar and normal to him.

But…it still wasn't the same…

When Seth started to walk down the small set of stairs leading down into the garden, he noticed that he couldn't hear anything from his feet. Normally, there would be a small, thumping sound. But now…apart from the chirping of the birds, and gentle sound of playing water in the pools, there was only silence. And when he walked on the grass, it was the same thing; no sound, just silence.

That meant…that this was only an illusion. A mere mirage of the real thing.

"It must be Katsuya who's causing this…" Seth mumbled to himself, giving a sad smile. In the Realm of Illusion, one could shape the shadows around oneself into whatever place they were thinking of, or longing for, the most…

Suddenly, finding Katsuya seemed even more important to Seth than before.

But where could he be? The palace garden was huge, and Jono could be anywhere…

"_But," _Seth thought to himself, turning right in the huge labyrinth of hedges and flowers, _"I know that Katsuya had a favourite place around here…that pond with the birds from Nubia!" _With that though, Seth turned yet another corner, past another small pond…and then he stopped in the entrance of a small clearing.

There, in front of a rather large pond, sat Katsuya. He was dressed in a green tunic, leaving one of his shoulders bare, and put his long legs on show. His face was turned away from Seth, and was watching the many birds play in the water.

One slender, tanned hand was gracing the surface of the water, spreading several rings from his fingers, but not bothering the birds in the pond at all.

Seth felt his heart make a weird backward-flip at the sight. It had been so long…5000 long years of despair and longing…and now, there he was; Katsuya. Only a few feet from him.

Now, if Seth only could get his voice to start working again…

"Kat…" Seth had to clear his voice, which had become very husky all of a sudden. "Katsuya!"

The blonde figure on the ground flinched, and quickly turned his head around.

Seth was overcome by Katsuya's beauty, once again. The blonde hair that curled so cutely around his tanned and smooth face and brushed those tanned shoulders…those deep, amber eyes that always showed of so much emotion, and warmth…and that lean and soft body that he knew willingly would share so much warmth on the chilly desert nights.

How he had missed him.

"S-Seth?" Jono whispered, voice breaking slightly at that one name. He stared at Seth for a full minute, unblinking. His golden eyes went from sad, to hopeful, and then…tears started to fill them. A low sob erupted from his throat, and he slowly shook his head.

"No…this can't be real…how can the Shadow Realm be so cruel? I thought that it…after such long time would be merciful…" Katsuya turned away from Seth, biting his lip and bowing his head in defeat.

After so many years in the Shadow Realm, without hope of ever seeing Seth ever again, Katsuya had started to succumb to his fate. He would never see his beloved again, and live in this middle world forever, in between of heaven and hell.

After all, what else did a slave like him deserve?

Seth felt very helpless in that moment, and a sudden chill gripped his heart. "Katsuya…"

"Why haven't you gone away yet…?" Katsuya whispered softly, looking up once more. His eyes were filled with tears, that slowly escaped the boarders of his eyes, and immeasurable pain was seen in their depths. "Does this realm really wish to torture me this much?"

Seth felt his heart break at the sight of his beloved's sadness. A desperate urge to sooth his pain suddenly filled him, and made him almost unable to breath.

With three quick steps, Seth was by Katsuya's side. He kneeled next to him, taking his hands (which were slightly cold and shivery, Seth noted grimly), into his own and held them tightly. Gently, he rose them to his face, and kissed them.

"My sun, my moon, the stars in my sky…don't cry, you know I hate it when you do…every tear is like a stab through my heart with a poisoned dagger…" With gentle care, Seth leaned closer to Jono, and placed a gentle kiss under his both of his eyes. "…so please, don't cry."

A shiver travelled through Katsuya's body at the physical and verbal show of affection. For a second, a pale blush spread across his cheeks, in a way that Seth remembered with joy. But then, it all disappeared, and another sob shook Katsuya's body.

"S-Stop…stop giving me these false hopes, please!" He cried, shaking violently. Suddenly, he was desperately trying to pull his hands free, and escape Seth. His heart was hurting so bad, at all the lost memories that was flooding in on him…the impossible dream of ever meeting Seth again…

Memories of a smiling Seth, a warm Seth that held him through every trouble that came in his path and kissed away all fears. A loving Seth that would whisper endearments, even in front of high-class men that disapproved. How Seth would happily point out a constellation and tell him its name and story with such passion. And that warmth, by Ra, that warmth and love that Seth always had shown him…

It all stung Katsuya's heart, knowing that he could never have it back. Seth was gone, far gone, and beyond his reach. The appearance of this illusion only made it hurt even more, mocking him and tormenting him endlessly.

Why couldn't it go away?

"L-Let go of me!" Jono screamed once more, desperately trying to pull his hands away. Tears fell down his cheeks in streams, and his eyes spoke of unspeakable pain.

Seth once more felt his heart break. His beloved Katsuya was hurting so bad…just because of him. _"Well,"_ Seth reasoned. _"Then it's up to me to make him happy again and sooth his pain." _

Gently, as if he was dealing with a fragile lotus, Seth wrapped his arms around Jono's shaking body. It wasn't an easy task, seeing that Katsuya was trying his hardest to escape him, sobbing and crying for him to let go of him. When he finally had his arms wrapped around Katsuya, he nuzzled the other's neck.

"Do you remember the promise I gave you?" Seth whispered gently, feeling the other boy shiver at the warm breath he was spreading across his neck.

"What promise?" Jono whispered back, voice weak and on the verge of breaking. His heart and body had no strength left to fight against the evil powers that seemed to surround him, so he now succumbed to the warm and somewhat soothing fathom of the demon. (It had to be a demon, Jono reasoned, because it could not be Seth, his beloved master.)

"The one about Nubia." Seth pulled back a little so he could lean his forehead against Jono's, and look him in the eye as he spoke. "That I would take you back there someday."

A small glint of surprise travelled through Katsuya's eyes at the hushed words. The promise about Nubia…how could a demon know of that? Only he and Seth knew of that promise, and Jono had never let the shadows read it in his mind. He was sure of that; he guarded such treasured memories closely.

"I…" Jono felt his throat scream in protest of speaking. It was too constricted with tears. Instead, he nodded slightly, and swallowed deeply.

Seth kissed Katsuya's nose, and chuckled lightly at the way it curled up at the sudden touch. "I'm sorry I never got to keep it, that I will never be able to take you there. And I'm sorry for every other promise I will never be able to keep…and the ones I have broken this far. Like the one that you would never be alone again…" A sad smile touched Seth's lips. "…that I gave to you the first time you sang in my chambers, my beautiful love. But, I promise you now…you will never be lonely like the man in the song."

A strange look of recognition flashed through Jono's eyes at the mentioning of the song. Then, the amber eyes filled with tears.

"_A song of lonely hearts…" _He whispered, voice almost cracking with the strong emotions that were welling up within him. _"A tale of broken dreams…the day I lost my heart, along with my destiny…" _

Seth recognized the lyrics of the song immediately. The song of a lonely man, a man who had lost everything. The song Katsuya sang to him, so long ago.

Smiling ever so slightly, Seth continued the song, in slightly accented Nubian. _"I still dream of thee, in the darkest nights. I still hold on for thee, even while I'm dying inside." _

Happiness was starting to show in Katsuya's deep, golden eyes as he smiled. Tears were running down his face, but he couldn't care less. He was starting to understand, that wonderful truth…

"_Blooded nights…" _Jono sang, voice holding a slight tremble.

"_Faded scars…" _Seth continued, still holding the same smile, now wider at seeing a sweet smile on Katsuya's face as well.

"_A broken promise…" _They chorused, their eyes locked tightly.

"_I will never forget you." _Jono's voice was weak, and faded slowly with that line.

"_For the rest of my darkened life." _Seth muttered quietly.

Now, the song was much longer, continuing with lyrics about more heartache, undying love, pain and moonlit nights, but no more singing was heard. Jono had heard enough. He now understood…

With a choked cry, Katsuya flung his arms around Seth's neck, and buried his face in the other man's chest. Tears of happiness flooded down his cheeks, and sobs of the same emotion raged through his body.

…Seth was with him.

He wasn't lost, or out of his reach anymore.

Seth was with him.

"Y…You…uhnn…" Katsuya sobbed harshly against his chest, only slightly soothed by the gentle caresses on his back.

"It's alright, my love. No more tears for me, I hate it when you cry…" Seth had no idea how to sooth Jono's pain. What words would make him smile? What words could possibly make him stop crying?! For the second time in his life, Seth found himself completely helpless.

"Don't…don't you ever leave me again, master!" It was yelled against Seth's chest, along with fists softly, but desperately, pounding on his back. "I-If you do, I won't…I won't…survive another time alone!" Desperate cries escaped Katsuya's mouth, deep from his heart. It couldn't take another heartbreak; it was still suffering from the current one.

Smiling softly, Seth pulled Jono away from his chest so he could look him deeply in the eye. He raised both his hands to put them on Katsuya's tearstained cheeks, and used his thumbs to brush the tears away from his eyes. Then he leaned down to press a gentle kiss under each eye; his special way of showing his love to his blonde angel.

"I won't. I promise, that I will never leave you again." He whispered against the soft skin of Katsuya's nose, thoroughly enjoying the pale blush spreading across the other's cheekbones. "As long as you stop crying, right now…"

Quickly, almost scared like, Katsuya swallowed a sob, and blinked away the last tears from his golden eyes. "Yes, master. I will. I'm sorry for…for being so weak in front of you…"

"And don't call me master." Seth muttered, caressing the beautiful boy's golden hair, and letting his fingers trace through it. "You know there's no use for the word. You are no more a slave than I. Though…then again…" A small smile spread across Seth's face. "I've always been a slave to your beauty."

A very deep blush settled in on Jono's cheeks, and he bowed his head. "Y-Yes, m…Seth. I- I won't call you master again."

"Good." Silence settled in between them, only broken by the soft chirps of the birds around them. After a while, Seth let his gaze fall upon the wonderful creature in his arms.

Katsuya was snuggled into Seth's chest, eyes blissfully closed. The blonde hair fell across his cheekbones, and shaded his face, even while Seth did his best to stroke it away from the other's face to see it more clearly. The blonde's body was completely relaxed. Soft sounds of his breathing made him seem even more serene.

Such an angel, Katsuya was. Seth almost felt like he was tainting the boy, by merely breathing the same air as he. Such undying beauty. A beauty that Seth knew, if they had lived long enough, wouldn't even have been destroyed by old age. Katsuya would always be beautiful.

"…I missed you." Seth whispered, tightening his arms around Katsuya's body, to pull him closer to his chest. Only to make sure that the boy was still there. The words spoke of so many feelings, that one could not even make out one.

"I missed you too." Jono said softly back, his hands tracing over Seth's stomach in gentle caresses. Honesty shone through his words, pure as new fallen snow. He opened his amber eyes a crack to gaze at his lover.

Seth gave him a gentle smile, and kept caressing the other's hair.

The gentle caresses, only meant to show affection, soon turned into more bold movements, that showed of both lust and desire, instantly warming them up. Seth wanted to touch Katsuya everywhere; so badly wanted to give the other his love, and Katsuya shared similar cravings.

Gently, more gently than ever before, Seth tilted Katsuya's head up to himself, and gave him a kiss. It was only closed mouthed, but still gave away so much love and passion that it took Katsuya's breath away and left him shivering. Shyly, the boy kissed back. It had been so long, too long, since the last time their lips met in this way.

It didn't take long for the kiss to become more than a gentle brushing of lips, and Seth's tongue invaded the other's mouth, meeting only slight resistance. A soft, happy sigh escaped between Katsuya's, now parted, lips as he kissed back.

While his hands wandered under Jono's tunic to lift it up and over his head, Seth could only marvel over how beautiful the other was. The way Katsuya moved, and sounded in the moment he touched him…it was all just beauty incarnated.

Warm skin on skin, and a gentle, begging moan escaped Jono as Seth started kissing his neck, and collarbone, seemingly trying to get every little taste of him on his tongue. Hands wandered curiously, mapping and remembering, and made the blond blush furiously. He had almost forgotten what this felt like…

Seth lifted his mouth from Katsuya's skin for a moment, and licked his lips. Such a sweet taste Katsuya had. A sweet taste that always seemed to linger, no matter what he did. It wasn't enough; would never be enough. Not in this eternity or the next.

Groaning with need, Seth stared to kiss Katsuya's neck, kissing, licking and marking his way down his chest and stomach, trying to devour him whole. And Katsuya didn't seem to mind, seeing the way he was gasping and moaning in bliss, while his soft hands were tracing the muscles of Seth's back. A low, keening whimper of the Priest's name left his mouth when Seth bit one of his nipples, and Jono blushed deeply when the other sucked it soothingly.

"Seth…" A low, breathless whisper escaped between Katsuya's kiss swollen lips, and his whole body quivered with barely contained lust, and Seth paused in his ministrations.

Blue eyes drifted upwards, and met clouded honey ones. Then they travelled along his face; smooth, tanned skin, a thin nose, long black eyelashes that graced soft, blushing cheeks, and finally stopped at those deliciously swollen lips…

A smile slipped onto Seth lips for a second when he watched the beautiful boy in front of him, before he put his hands on Jono's shoulders, and pushed him gently down onto his back, and onto the clothes previously shed. Then he leaned down to recapture the other one's sweet lips.

"_Lets stay like this…" _Seth thought to himself, while kissing Katsuya passionately. _"Lets stay like this forever, you and I." _

_Until the end of time. _

**The End**

And, it's over.

Is anyone still alive, or did everyone choke on the fluff in here? XD

Well. That was the end of Old Love. Probably the story I am most proud of here on It turned out cute, didn't it? Huh? HUH?!

Sorry…I'm just happy that it turned out so good at the end…I loved writing the Seth/Jono part, so hopefully you liked it too. I'm not going to whine about being unsatisfied with this…because I'm not! This chapter turned out fine for me too!

And no. There was no lemon. Maybe next time. ;)

Anywho. Onto thanking people.

First, I want to thank Melodyz07. –glomps- She's my ideagiver/muse! –pats her head repeatedly- She has helped me through both my personal problems, like a crush I had/have (not sure still ) my friends being stupid, and the writer's block I had on this story. These last two chapters probably wouldn't have happened if she hadn't been there for me. So, thank you Melodyz07! I LOVE YOU!

Secondly, I want to thank every other person who has reviewed this story! You've had a lot of patience to wait for this story to come through. Many of you have given me inspiration for chapters as well, and plenty of ideas. And, of course, compliments I'm not even sure I deserve at times…-blushes- Thank you all! Every review has meant so much for me! Cookies for everyone!

And thirdly…I want to thank the guy who made Yu-Gi-Oh! Without his great work, this fic would never have been thought of, and I'd never met the wonders of bishies and yaoi! So, thanks to him too! (I can't remember his name…-whimpers-) Also, I want to thank the guys who put in all the puppyshipping hints to Yu-Gi-Oh! I just love them to death! XD

Okay then. That's all thank yous I have. If I've forgotten someone who earns regard for, please tell me so I can give you my personal thanks:D

Now then…on another note. I will write a few more oneshots, but I can't say when they'll be up. I need to write them, after all. But I have plenty ideas. Don't worry, I'll never run out of those!

Also, I have planned another long fic. One of Ancient Egypt, and Seth/Jono! Writing about it here has made me want to write about that. Melodyz07, thanks again for all wonderful ideas you've given me for THIS upcoming fic! It's all for you, sweety! ;) I hope people will come to read it when I put it up.

Anywho! I'm done rambling! Tell me if you have cute oneshot requests, and I'll see what I can make of them. (I always starve for new ideas, no matter how many I think up!)

Please leave a review now. I need to know what you all thought! If you liked it, hated it, or just plain don't care…just give me a piece of your mind! (flames will be shot down and taken care of…ku-ku-ku-kuuu…-laughs madly-)

Well then…see ya! Good luck in life to all of you! (damn this was a long end note! )

All my Love.

-The Blonde Midget


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